Wadena-Deer Creek girls softball came up on the short end of the battle for Mid-State Conference supremacy with rival Staples-Motley in a conference doubleheader on May 2.
The first game of the double-dip saw the Wolverines striking first with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Hanna Bigham reached base on a Cardinal error and then scored on a Hannah Askew RBI single.
That would be all the Wolverines could muster in both games of the double-dip.
The Cardinals came back to tie the game up in the top of the third and then tallied two more runs in the fourth to go on to win 3-1.
The Wolverines collected four hits off Cardinal starter Shari Berg, including two from Bigham.
ADVERTISEMENT
Askew pitched a complete game for the Wolverines and was saddled with the loss. She gave up two earned runs on four hits, struck out five and allowed seven walks.
While the Wolverines were able to collect the hits, they just couldnt score the runs in the nightcap, losing 5-0.
Stephanie Perkins went 2-for-3 and Bigham collected the other hit for the Wolverines.
Staples-Motley scored four runs in the fourth and added the insurance run in the fifth for the victory.
Nikki Kneisl went the distance for the Wolverines, allowing three earned runs on six hits while striking out five in the loss.
The Wolverines wrapped up the week with a doubleheader sweep of Crosby-Ironton on Friday at home.
Down 6-4 heading into the fifth in the first game, the Wolverines came alive to score six runs in the last two innings to pull out the 10-7 victory.
The see-saw game had the Wolverines striking first. In the bottom of the first, Kneisl reached base on a fielders choice and then scored on a Ranger error.
ADVERTISEMENT
Crosby-Ironton tied the game up in the top of the second and then tallied five runs in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead. The Rangers forced five runs on seven walks by Kneisl to drive her from the mound.
The Wolverines managed to salvage their bottom half of the fourth with three runs. Bigham led off the inning with a single and was replaced by pinch runner Rachel Davis. Kristin Hoemberg followed suit with another single and Askew plated Davis with her RBI single. With two outs, Falon Kerns two-run double made it a 6-4 ballgame.
Askew relieved Kneisl on the mound and proceeded to shut down the Rangers.
The Wolverines continued to claw their way back into the game, scoring two runs in the fifth. Another Ranger error allowed Kneisl to reach base. Bighams triple and Hoembergs double allowed the Wolverines to tie the game at 6-6.
Timely hits opened the four-run sixth inning for the Wolverines. Brakefield, Kern and Perkins all singled to start the inning. Kendra Grothmann drew a bases-loaded walk to score Brakefield. Kneisl reached on a fielders choice and Bigham continued her torrid hitting with a two-run double. Kneisl crossed the plate for the final Wolverine run on a Hoemberg fielders choice to make it 10-6.
Crosby-Ironton scored once in the top of the seventh on a Wolverine error, but Askew kept them guessing by getting the strike out and fly-out to end the game.
The nightcap once again saw Wadena-Deer Creek clawing back to win the game. Down 9-6, the Wolverines scored four two-out runs in the bottom of the seventh to escape with the doubleheader sweep of Crosby-Ironton.
Back-to-back singles by Kern and Kneisl got the Wolverines going, but Bigham would ground out and Askew lined out to short; the Wolverines were suddenly one out from losing.
ADVERTISEMENT
A walk, fielders choice and Ranger error followed suit. Brakefield was looking at two strikes when she was able to single the winning run home to cap the Wolverine comeback for a 10-9 victory.
Crosby-Ironton committed five errors in the game with three coming in the Wolverines five-run fifth inning.
Askew earned her second victory of the afternoon; she allowed seven earned runs on nine hits while striking out one in seven innings.
Kneisl went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, Guck was 2-for-3 with an RBI and Brakefield went 2-for-4 with a run and the game-winning RBI for the Wolverines.
The Wolverines (6-2 conference, 8-3 overall) will be finishing up a three-game home swing this week starting with another conference doubleheader with Pequot Lakes on Tuesday. Little Falls comes to town at 4 p.m. today (Thursday), and the Wolverines will wrap up the week with New York Mills at 4 p.m. Friday.
Staples-Motley at WDC
on May 2
Cardinals 3, Wolverines 1 (Game 1)
ADVERTISEMENT
R H E
S-M 0 0 1 2 0 0 0- 3 4 2
WDC 0 1 0 0 0 0 0- 1 4 2
WP-Shari Berg (SM)
LP-Hannah Askew (WDC)
WDC-Hanna Bigham 2-3, R; Ann Brakefield 1-2, SAC; Hannah Askew 1-3, RBI
Pitching-WDC-Askew 7IP, 4H, 2ER, 7BB, 5K
Cardinals 5, Wolverines 0 (Game 2)
ADVERTISEMENT
R H E
S-M 0 0 0 4 1 0 0- 5 6 0
WDC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 3 2
WP-Sara Dezell (SM)
LP-Nikki Kneisl (WDC)
WDC-Stephanie Perkins 2-3; Bigham 1-3
Pitching
WDC-Kneisl 7IP, 6H, 3ER, 3BB, 5K
ADVERTISEMENT
Crosby-Ironton at WDC
on May 5
Wolverines 10, Rangers 7 (Game 1)
R H E
C-I 0 1 0 5 0 0 1- 7 3 3
WDC 1 0 0 3 2 4 x-10 10 2
WP-Askew (WDC)
LP-Megan Landowski (CI)
WDC-Stephanie Perkins 1-4, R; Kendra Grothmann 0-2, R, 2BB, RBI; Nikki Kneisl 0-4, 3R; Bigham 3-4, 2B, 3B, 3RBI; Rachel Davis 0-0, 2R; Hoemberg 2-4, RBI; Kayla Guck 0-1; Askew 1-3, R, RBI; Brakefield 1-2, 2R, BB; Falon Kern 2-3, 2B, 2RBI
Pitching
WDC-Kneisl 3IP, 2H, 5R, 7BB, 4K; Askew 4IP 1H, 2R, 3BB, 4K 0ER; CI-Landowski 7IP, 10H, 10R, 3BB, 2K
Wolverines 10, Rangers 9 (Game 2)
R H E
C-I 2 0 2 1 3 0 1- 9 9 5
WDC 0 1 0 0 5 0 4- 10 9 2
WP-Askew (WDC)
LP-Landowski (CI)
WDC-Tina Schloeder 0-3, R; Kern 1-1, R; Kneisl 2-4, 2R; Bigham 1-4, 2R; Guck 2-3, BB, RBI; Davis 0-0, R, SB; Hoemberg 1-4, R, RBI; Grothmann 0-4, R; Brakefield 2-4, R, RBI
Pitching
WDC-Askew 7IP, 9H, 9R, 4BB, 1K, 7ER; CI-Landowski 7IP, 9H, 10R, BB, 2K, 5ER
