NEW GLARUS - The Glarner Knights notched their first win of the season, defeating Faith Christian 15-5 in their home opener.
New Glarus jumped out to the early lead, scoring nine runs in the first inning thanks in large part to erratic pitching by Faith Christian's Hannah Brossard.
"Faith Christian's pitcher was a little different," New Glarus coach Robert Wahl said, adding that Brossard hit eight batters and walked 11. "I was really happy with our discipline. I give them credit for staying in there."
Brossard took the loss, while New Glarus freshman Emma Jackson got the win. Jackson pitched all five innings, walking five and striking out seven.
"(Emma) pitched really well," Wahl said, adding that Jackson worked out of multiple bases-loaded jams. "In the past we've let some of those get away."
Wahl said Jackson's ability to work through those tough situations quickly gives her a better chance of completing the game.
"She's been battling some tendonitis. This is the first time she went the full game," Wahl said. "Obviously, in this situation she wanted to finish and we wanted (her) to finish. I think she was really focused."
Junior Mikaela Gregory and freshman Tamara Elzen led the Knights offensively, with two hits apiece. Gregory drove in four runs, and Elzen drove in three. Junior Hayley Latsch also stole three bases.
"Being a warm day and a good crowd, I thought a lot of the freshmen were nervous," Wahl said, "but it was nice to be on the (home) field."
The Knights (1-3) will look to make it two home wins in as many days, as they host Columbus tonight in New Glarus.
Monticello 8, Cassville 1
MONTICELLO - Junior pitcher Claire Bruns went the distance, allowing just three hits and striking out 10, and the Monticello softball team collected their first win of what is expected to be a busy week.
"We got up on them early, and then (Bruns) got into a groove," said Monticello coach Duane Garrison.
The groove came between the first and sixth innings, where Bruns retired 16 in a row.
"She was on tonight, hitting her corners," Garrison said. "If we can get her a couple runs, we're a pretty good team."
Monticello got Bruns a couple runs and a couple more, with six different Ponies notching two hits: Clare Geitzel, Alysah Kubly, Marissa Berg, Sam Devoe, Broeckin Klosterman and Taylor Gafner. Klosterman also finished with a team-high two RBIs.
"We finally started hitting the ball hard tonight," Garrison said. "Their pitcher wasn't overly powerful. She had a different kind of windup, and I thought that might've screwed our girls up. Overall I was pretty happy."
The win marked the beginning of a five-game week for Monticello. The Ponies (7-1, 2-0 Six Rivers East) host Black Hawk Tuesday and Barneveld Thursday, and they'll host a three-team invite on Saturday against Elkhorn and Benton-Shullsburg.
Garrison said he's happy with the start thus far, but he knows the week will be a big test for his team.
"I'll know more about this team come friday," Garrison said. "We take them one game at a time, but when you have five games in one week, you tend to look ahead as a coach."
What's ahead is a conference showdown with fellow conference favorite Barneveld.
"That will be the big test," Garrison said. "We were both kind of preseason favorites to win the conference. Hopefully it will be a good game."
Darlington 5, Fennimore 3
Fennimore 14, Darlington 13
DARLINGTON - The Redbirds split a doubleheader with Fennimore, despite holding a five-run lead at one point in the second game.
Darlington won the first game after limiting Fennimore to just six hits. Jenna Foulker got the win, striking out one and walking four. Fennimore's Lyndsey Biddick took the loss.
Carly Gollmer, Caitie Chiaverotti, Chloe Hinderman and Taylor Cox each collected two hits in the first game for Darlington. Hinderman also had a team-high two RBIs.
The Redbirds kept the bats going in the second tilt, jumping out to a 7-2 lead at the end of the first inning. However, the Golden Eagles wouldn't be kept down.
Fennimore banged out 16 hits to score three in the third, five in the fourth, one in the fifth and sixth and two in the bottom of the seventh to take snatch the win away from Darlington.
Foulker took the loss, striking out four batters and walking three.
"I think (we) let down after jumping out (to the early lead)," Darlington coach Karen Bennett said, "and Fennimore just plugged their way back in. They were hitting Jenna, but we had some mental errors that we haven't had yet (this season). They were costly."
Offensively, the Redbirds were led by Mariah Wiegel and Cassidy Cox, who each notched three hits including two doubles. Cox drove in four runs, and Wiegel plated three. Jacke Johnson contributed with three hits, and Chiaverotti and Anna Fitzsimons chipped in two hits apiece.
The Redbirds did all they could to keep pace with the Golden Eagles, but it wasn't enough.
"(Fennimore) just had good base hits. I'm OK with that," Bennett said. "If we lose by good hits, I'm alright with that."
Darlington also played two games on Saturday, and Bennett said she couldn't be too hard on her team for being tired, especially with Foulker as the only pitcher on the team.
"These girls are just excited they're not getting ten-runned," Bennett said, referencing last year's team. Just six games into the season, Darlington (3-3) has already eclipsed last year's win total of two.
The Redbirds will finish the week with back-to-back road games, taking on Southwestern on Thursday, April 25 and Cuba City on Friday, April 26.
"I think we can play with Southwestern," Bennett said.
Argyle 8, Belleville 2
ARGYLE - Jessica Truethardt went the distance for the Orioles, holding Belleville to just two hits while walking none, as Argyle collected the non-conference win in seven innings.
The Orioles jumped out to an early lead, plating three runs in the first inning. They would later add to their advantage, scoring four runs in the fourth and another in the sixth.
Three different Orioles notched two hits, including Kayla Ostby, Kim Pink and Jessica Treuthardt. Hannah Saalsaa had a team-high two RBIs.
The Orioles drew four walks as a team and stole eight bases.
Argyle will host Pecatonica today, before hosting a double header against Juda-Albany on Thursday, April 25.
New Glarus jumped out to the early lead, scoring nine runs in the first inning thanks in large part to erratic pitching by Faith Christian's Hannah Brossard.
"Faith Christian's pitcher was a little different," New Glarus coach Robert Wahl said, adding that Brossard hit eight batters and walked 11. "I was really happy with our discipline. I give them credit for staying in there."
Brossard took the loss, while New Glarus freshman Emma Jackson got the win. Jackson pitched all five innings, walking five and striking out seven.
"(Emma) pitched really well," Wahl said, adding that Jackson worked out of multiple bases-loaded jams. "In the past we've let some of those get away."
Wahl said Jackson's ability to work through those tough situations quickly gives her a better chance of completing the game.
"She's been battling some tendonitis. This is the first time she went the full game," Wahl said. "Obviously, in this situation she wanted to finish and we wanted (her) to finish. I think she was really focused."
Junior Mikaela Gregory and freshman Tamara Elzen led the Knights offensively, with two hits apiece. Gregory drove in four runs, and Elzen drove in three. Junior Hayley Latsch also stole three bases.
"Being a warm day and a good crowd, I thought a lot of the freshmen were nervous," Wahl said, "but it was nice to be on the (home) field."
The Knights (1-3) will look to make it two home wins in as many days, as they host Columbus tonight in New Glarus.
Monticello 8, Cassville 1
MONTICELLO - Junior pitcher Claire Bruns went the distance, allowing just three hits and striking out 10, and the Monticello softball team collected their first win of what is expected to be a busy week.
"We got up on them early, and then (Bruns) got into a groove," said Monticello coach Duane Garrison.
The groove came between the first and sixth innings, where Bruns retired 16 in a row.
"She was on tonight, hitting her corners," Garrison said. "If we can get her a couple runs, we're a pretty good team."
Monticello got Bruns a couple runs and a couple more, with six different Ponies notching two hits: Clare Geitzel, Alysah Kubly, Marissa Berg, Sam Devoe, Broeckin Klosterman and Taylor Gafner. Klosterman also finished with a team-high two RBIs.
"We finally started hitting the ball hard tonight," Garrison said. "Their pitcher wasn't overly powerful. She had a different kind of windup, and I thought that might've screwed our girls up. Overall I was pretty happy."
The win marked the beginning of a five-game week for Monticello. The Ponies (7-1, 2-0 Six Rivers East) host Black Hawk Tuesday and Barneveld Thursday, and they'll host a three-team invite on Saturday against Elkhorn and Benton-Shullsburg.
Garrison said he's happy with the start thus far, but he knows the week will be a big test for his team.
"I'll know more about this team come friday," Garrison said. "We take them one game at a time, but when you have five games in one week, you tend to look ahead as a coach."
What's ahead is a conference showdown with fellow conference favorite Barneveld.
"That will be the big test," Garrison said. "We were both kind of preseason favorites to win the conference. Hopefully it will be a good game."
Darlington 5, Fennimore 3
Fennimore 14, Darlington 13
DARLINGTON - The Redbirds split a doubleheader with Fennimore, despite holding a five-run lead at one point in the second game.
Darlington won the first game after limiting Fennimore to just six hits. Jenna Foulker got the win, striking out one and walking four. Fennimore's Lyndsey Biddick took the loss.
Carly Gollmer, Caitie Chiaverotti, Chloe Hinderman and Taylor Cox each collected two hits in the first game for Darlington. Hinderman also had a team-high two RBIs.
The Redbirds kept the bats going in the second tilt, jumping out to a 7-2 lead at the end of the first inning. However, the Golden Eagles wouldn't be kept down.
Fennimore banged out 16 hits to score three in the third, five in the fourth, one in the fifth and sixth and two in the bottom of the seventh to take snatch the win away from Darlington.
Foulker took the loss, striking out four batters and walking three.
"I think (we) let down after jumping out (to the early lead)," Darlington coach Karen Bennett said, "and Fennimore just plugged their way back in. They were hitting Jenna, but we had some mental errors that we haven't had yet (this season). They were costly."
Offensively, the Redbirds were led by Mariah Wiegel and Cassidy Cox, who each notched three hits including two doubles. Cox drove in four runs, and Wiegel plated three. Jacke Johnson contributed with three hits, and Chiaverotti and Anna Fitzsimons chipped in two hits apiece.
The Redbirds did all they could to keep pace with the Golden Eagles, but it wasn't enough.
"(Fennimore) just had good base hits. I'm OK with that," Bennett said. "If we lose by good hits, I'm alright with that."
Darlington also played two games on Saturday, and Bennett said she couldn't be too hard on her team for being tired, especially with Foulker as the only pitcher on the team.
"These girls are just excited they're not getting ten-runned," Bennett said, referencing last year's team. Just six games into the season, Darlington (3-3) has already eclipsed last year's win total of two.
The Redbirds will finish the week with back-to-back road games, taking on Southwestern on Thursday, April 25 and Cuba City on Friday, April 26.
"I think we can play with Southwestern," Bennett said.
Argyle 8, Belleville 2
ARGYLE - Jessica Truethardt went the distance for the Orioles, holding Belleville to just two hits while walking none, as Argyle collected the non-conference win in seven innings.
The Orioles jumped out to an early lead, plating three runs in the first inning. They would later add to their advantage, scoring four runs in the fourth and another in the sixth.
Three different Orioles notched two hits, including Kayla Ostby, Kim Pink and Jessica Treuthardt. Hannah Saalsaa had a team-high two RBIs.
The Orioles drew four walks as a team and stole eight bases.
Argyle will host Pecatonica today, before hosting a double header against Juda-Albany on Thursday, April 25.
