BRODHEAD — The Cardinals may not have let the balls fly as they had hoped, but they still came away with a 2-0 conference win over McFarland on Friday, March 24. Brodhead battled through 45-degree temps and winds.
“When the wind is blowing in and its cold, its hard to hit,” head coach Steve Krupke said. “I told them we were going to bunt a little bit more than we normally do. We have a good-hitting lineup. I don’t like bunting a ton, but in these conditions, you have to. We had to grind.”
Taetum Hoesly led off the second, reaching base on an error. Alexis Kammerer then bunted her over into scoring position. After a walk, Jerrica Schwartz moved the runners up another base with a bunt. Tatum Ceslock was unable to cash in on the opportunity, though, striking out.
Starting pitcher Ava Risum squashed McFarland’s momentum, striking out the side in the top of the third.
“Ava’s rise was working really well early — she was dominating,” Krupke said. “She is going to win a lot of ball games for us this year, and in the next two years.”
With a one-out single from Risum in the bottom of the third, Krupe attempted to use his team’s speed to generate offense. He sent Risum on the second pitch of Sophia Leitzen’s at-bat, but McFarland catcher Bailee Judd threw her out at second. Leitzen then flew out to right to end the inning.
Risum dealt another 1-2-3 inning with one strikeout. Hoesly recorded the second out of the inning, catching a ball in foul territory.
McKenna Young led off the bottom of the fourth with a walk, and Hoesly followed with a single. For the second straight at-bat, Kammerer sacrificed herself for the team with a bunt. Allie Dahl then stepped up to the plate with one out and runners at second and third.
In an attempt to put pressure on the defense, Krupke called for two squeeze plays, which Dahl fouled off.
“Here I am, sitting with a freshman in a crucial situation 0-2,” Krupke said. “She fouled off like five balls and got a hit. It makes me look like I know what I’m doing.”
Despite being down in the count, Dahl didn’t let the pressure get to her head.
“I told myself I had to keep my head up and push through,” Dahl said. “If I got out, oh well. I had to focus on that at-bat and not anything else.”
Her single to left plated Young and Hoesly, proving to be the only runs Brodhead needed to win.
The Spartans looked to respond in the top of the fifth, though, putting a runner in scoring position. Judd reached base on an error and advanced to third on a bunt and groundout. Risum got herself out of the jam, though, striking out Olivia Platt on a 3-2 count.
Young pitched the remaining two innings in relief, earning the save. She struck out four, giving up just one hit. Risum and Young combine for a one-hit shutout. In total, the duo struck out 13 Spartans.
“My curveball was really working,” Risum said. “It started getting cold, so I needed to make sure I was keeping my arm warm in the dugout, otherwise I couldn’t feel my hands. I also had to over emphasize your spins.”
Hoesly led the Cardinals at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one run scored. The remaining three hits came from Risum, Kammerer and Dahl.
BRODHEAD 5, JEFFERSON 1
JEFFERSON — The Cardinals scored all five of their runs in the second inning during their season opener against the Eagles on Thursday, March 23.
Ceslock and Hoesly tallied two RBIs each and accounted for two of Brodhead’s five hits. The remaining three came from Leitzen, Young and Dahl.
Young threw a complete game, giving up one unearned run on three hits. She struck out 16 batters without issuing a walk.
In other local softball, Palmyra-Eagle defeated Argyle 14-4 on Thursday, March 23.
