ARGYLE - Argyle freshman Kayla Ostby has stepped up with big hits in games before.
Ostby stepped up again Thursday on the mound as she pitched Argyle to a 5-1 win over Albany in a WIAA Division 4 regional quarterfinal game. She pitched six innings and gave up just one run on two hits. Ostby pitched out of a two-on, no-out jam in the third inning and she worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth.
"It feels really good to be able to step in and do the job," Ostby said. "I know my teammates were behind me 110 percent. We didn't give up. We kept fighting. We knew it wasn't going to be easy."
Argyle junior Kelsey Bartels pitched a shutout seventh for the Orioles and struck out two.
"She has stepped up in the clutch," Argyle coach Heidi Ganshert said of Ostby. "She (Ostby) hasn't pitched a lot of whole games and I knew she was getting tired in the heat."
Argyle (15-7) jumped out to a 2-0 lead by taking advantage of some Comets' errors. The first four runs that the Orioles scored off Albany junior pitcher Kaitlyn Schulz were unearned. The Comets committed three of their six errors in the first two innings. Schulz walked Argyle senior Jeannie Dammen to lead off the first. Kim Fischer reached on an error. Ostby hit a fly ball to right field that was dropped that allowed the Orioles' second run to score.
The Orioles extended their lead in the second after Stacy Kromminga reached on an error and then stole second. Jodi Fischer drove in the next run with a groundout to give the Orioles a 3-0 lead. Schulz then walked Ostby to walk in a run.
After Albany finished 1-13 last year, the Comets have made strides this year winning two of their last five games including a win over Barneveld. The Comets have a young core with three freshman and a pair of sophomores.
"From where we started and all the things we have had to go through to get here, I thought the kids played well," Albany coach Connie Wunschel said. "We improved. It's just the little things. Sometimes inexperience rears its ugly head around us. We are learning."
Wunschel said Schulz has done amazing pitching in practice and she wanted to get several innings from her before going to sophomore Katie Krupke. Krupke pitched 4 1/3 innings in relief and gave up one run on four hits.
"I know that Katie is a good pitcher," Wunschel said. "I wanted to try something new because we have got into a rut. She (Schulz) was pinched a little bit in the strike zone and she got frustrated."
Argyle left 11 runners on base and went 1-for-11 hitting with runners in scoring position. Kim Fischer went 2-for-4 to lead the Orioles. Jodi Fischer went 1-for-4 with a triple and senior Jeannie Dammen reached base three of the four times she batted with three walks.
"When we play tougher teams the hitting has to be there," Ganshert said. "Hopefully, it will be on Tuesday."
The Comets had golden scoring opportunities in the third and sixth innings. Albany's Abby Krupke singled leading off the third. Freshman Kirstie Kauk then reached on an error. Ostby then struck out Ingrid Kallgren and got freshman Carlie Peters to ground out. Albany sophomore Kaylee Johnson then hit a comebacker to Ostby to end the threat.
Ostby struggled with her control in the sixth walking Johnson and Clare Koopmans singled. She then walked the bases loaded and walked in a run when she issued a free pass to Schulz. However, she caught a break when Argyle second baseman Stephanie Cuevas caught a ball on the edge of the outfield grass and then threw home to Jodi Fischer who tagged out Koopmans for an inning-ending double play.
"We just didn't produce when we needed to," Wunschel said. "There was a lot of miscommunication between me and the base runners. I need to do a better job of communicating."
Ostby stepped up again Thursday on the mound as she pitched Argyle to a 5-1 win over Albany in a WIAA Division 4 regional quarterfinal game. She pitched six innings and gave up just one run on two hits. Ostby pitched out of a two-on, no-out jam in the third inning and she worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth.
"It feels really good to be able to step in and do the job," Ostby said. "I know my teammates were behind me 110 percent. We didn't give up. We kept fighting. We knew it wasn't going to be easy."
Argyle junior Kelsey Bartels pitched a shutout seventh for the Orioles and struck out two.
"She has stepped up in the clutch," Argyle coach Heidi Ganshert said of Ostby. "She (Ostby) hasn't pitched a lot of whole games and I knew she was getting tired in the heat."
Argyle (15-7) jumped out to a 2-0 lead by taking advantage of some Comets' errors. The first four runs that the Orioles scored off Albany junior pitcher Kaitlyn Schulz were unearned. The Comets committed three of their six errors in the first two innings. Schulz walked Argyle senior Jeannie Dammen to lead off the first. Kim Fischer reached on an error. Ostby hit a fly ball to right field that was dropped that allowed the Orioles' second run to score.
The Orioles extended their lead in the second after Stacy Kromminga reached on an error and then stole second. Jodi Fischer drove in the next run with a groundout to give the Orioles a 3-0 lead. Schulz then walked Ostby to walk in a run.
After Albany finished 1-13 last year, the Comets have made strides this year winning two of their last five games including a win over Barneveld. The Comets have a young core with three freshman and a pair of sophomores.
"From where we started and all the things we have had to go through to get here, I thought the kids played well," Albany coach Connie Wunschel said. "We improved. It's just the little things. Sometimes inexperience rears its ugly head around us. We are learning."
Wunschel said Schulz has done amazing pitching in practice and she wanted to get several innings from her before going to sophomore Katie Krupke. Krupke pitched 4 1/3 innings in relief and gave up one run on four hits.
"I know that Katie is a good pitcher," Wunschel said. "I wanted to try something new because we have got into a rut. She (Schulz) was pinched a little bit in the strike zone and she got frustrated."
Argyle left 11 runners on base and went 1-for-11 hitting with runners in scoring position. Kim Fischer went 2-for-4 to lead the Orioles. Jodi Fischer went 1-for-4 with a triple and senior Jeannie Dammen reached base three of the four times she batted with three walks.
"When we play tougher teams the hitting has to be there," Ganshert said. "Hopefully, it will be on Tuesday."
The Comets had golden scoring opportunities in the third and sixth innings. Albany's Abby Krupke singled leading off the third. Freshman Kirstie Kauk then reached on an error. Ostby then struck out Ingrid Kallgren and got freshman Carlie Peters to ground out. Albany sophomore Kaylee Johnson then hit a comebacker to Ostby to end the threat.
Ostby struggled with her control in the sixth walking Johnson and Clare Koopmans singled. She then walked the bases loaded and walked in a run when she issued a free pass to Schulz. However, she caught a break when Argyle second baseman Stephanie Cuevas caught a ball on the edge of the outfield grass and then threw home to Jodi Fischer who tagged out Koopmans for an inning-ending double play.
"We just didn't produce when we needed to," Wunschel said. "There was a lot of miscommunication between me and the base runners. I need to do a better job of communicating."
