HAZEL GREEN - The Darlington softball team continued to swing hot bats Thursday night, piling up 16 runs on 22 hits in a win over Southwestern.
Darlington coach Karen Bennett said a small adjustment at the plate has reaped rewards for the Redbirds.
"We've been consistent at the plate the last couple games. Monday we had 18 hits. We've just got confidence this year," Bennett said. "We just changed (their approach) up a little. It seemed like they were putting too much weight on their back leg. We changed up their stance a little bit."
Anna Fitzsimons was the top Redbird hitter, going 4-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Brianna King, Caitie Chiaverotti, Mariah Wiegel, Jacke Johnson, and Chloe Henderman all had multiple base hits for Darlington.
Darlington scored two in the second inning before exploding for seven runs in the third inning.
"We got a couple good hits (in the third inning)," Bennett said. "They kind of rattled the pitcher. They walked two in a row. They switched pitchers, and then we literally had six hits in a row up the middle. They were beautiful hits. They waited back and got confidence."
Darlington improved to 4-3 on the season. Having won just two games the past two seasons combined, Bennett said the newfound success was a real confidence boost for the team.
"They won 2 games last year and had no wins two years ago, so this is really giving them confidence," she said. "It's great, the attitudes are good. Of course, you have fun when you're winning. We have 11 on varsity, and they're all working hard. They want to keep improving."
The Redbirds head to Cuba City today for a game with the rival Cubans.
Barneveld 4, Monticello 3
MONTICELLO - Barneveld's Hailey Kleppe and Rachel Slaney came up with clutch hits in the seventh inning to come back to beat Monticello 4-3.
Monticello (7-2, 2-1 Six Rivers East) led 3-2 going into the seventh. The Eagles' No. 9 hitter Taylor Owens singled to start the rally. Kleppe doubled. Slaney followed with a game-tying RBI single to tie the game at 3. The Eagles scored the go-ahead run on a fielder's choice.
Monticello senior Jordyn Kubly walked in the bottom of the seventh and reached second base on a fielder's choice. However, the Ponies weren't able to drive her in.
"We couldn't get the big hit," Monticello coach Duane Garrison said. "We played a good game against a good team. They just got one more clutch hit than we did. I told (our team) they had nothing to hang their heads about."
Monticello's Claire Bruns pitched seven innings and gave up four runs on six hits. She struck out two and walked two. Jordyn Kubly went 1-for-2. Jordan Garrison, Broeckin Klosterman and sophomore Alyssah Kubly were each 1-for-3. Kubly had an RBI triple.
Argyle 10, Juda-Albany 0
Juda-Albany 5, Argyle 1
ARGYLE - Six Rivers East foes Juda-Albany and Argyle split a doubleheader Thursday night.
In game one, Kayla Ostby was 4-for-4 at the plate, and Jenna Langmeier was 3-for-4 for the Orioles. Argyle coach Dan Treuthardt said his team had some solid hits at the plate in both games, but was able to find more gaps in game one.
"We hit the ball real well in the first game," he said. "We hit the ball well in the second game too, but right at them. We had a lot of line shots that were caught. We just hit the ball to the wrong spots."
Jessica Treuthardt started both games for the Orioles. She threw a shutout in game one, giving up just four hits. She gave up five runs in game two, although only three of those were earned.
Juda-Albany's Tabatha Davis also started both games. The Orioles hit her hard in game one, racking up ten hits and eight runs in four innings. She turned around in game two, though, by pitching a complete game, giving up just one run and four hits.
Juda-Albany travels to Monticello on Tuesday. Argyle has a game on Saturday morning against Platteville. Treuthardt said he would use that game to get some other players some experience.
"To be honest, I don't know how much Jessica's going to pitch," he said. "She's pitched five games in the last six days. I don't know what exactly we'll do on Saturday. We've got some kids we need to get in, so that's going to be our priority, looking to get some other kids some opportunities."
Evansville 21, New Glarus 2
NEW GLARUS - The New Glarus softball team scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, to avoid a shutout against Evansville Thursday, April 25.
The Knights, led by starter Emma Jackson, held Evansville to just two runs through the first two innings, but the Blue Devils exploded for 17 runs in the runs in the third to put the game out of reach early.
"We started out really well," New Glarus coach Robert Wahl said. "When they scored the runs, there were only two errors. It was a deal where they had some good hits."
As the inning continued, Wahl thought that his players might have been pressing to get out of the long inning.
"We were hustling," he said. "I think we reached a point where we were trying a little too hard to make a play and get out of it."
Jackson took the loss for New Glarus, giving up 15 runs over three innings, while striking out four and walking one. She also was the leading hitter, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base. Hayley Latsch and Mikaela Gregory drove in New Glarus' only runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
"We're still hitting," Wahl said. "I still believe in them and what we're doing. This is our third game on the field, and we've had one practice (on the field). Everything that happened tonight is correctable."
The Knights will quickly move on to their next game, which will be their annual Strikeout for Cancer game at home against Capitol South rival Marshall.
"The strikeout for cancer game ... in some regards is becoming an emotional event for some of the kids," Wahl said. "It's a lot of work the girls put in. It's always been a personal thing, and I think it means a lot to them."
Lexa Speth, a teacher at the New Glarus Middle School recovering from pancreatic cancer, is scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Brodhead 11, East Troy 1
BRODHEAD - Amanda Pickel shut down the East Troy offense and the Brodhead bats lit up the scoreboard, as the Cardinals beat the Trojans 11-1 Tuesday evening.
Pickel gave up five hits and one earned run in her five innings. She also had three walks and two strikeouts.
Offensively, the Cardinals had 11 hits to go with their 11 runs. Pickel, Taylor Douglas, Tabby Harnack and Brooke Boegli all had two basehits for Brodhead. The Cardinals take on Parkview on Saturday.
Darlington coach Karen Bennett said a small adjustment at the plate has reaped rewards for the Redbirds.
"We've been consistent at the plate the last couple games. Monday we had 18 hits. We've just got confidence this year," Bennett said. "We just changed (their approach) up a little. It seemed like they were putting too much weight on their back leg. We changed up their stance a little bit."
Anna Fitzsimons was the top Redbird hitter, going 4-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Brianna King, Caitie Chiaverotti, Mariah Wiegel, Jacke Johnson, and Chloe Henderman all had multiple base hits for Darlington.
Darlington scored two in the second inning before exploding for seven runs in the third inning.
"We got a couple good hits (in the third inning)," Bennett said. "They kind of rattled the pitcher. They walked two in a row. They switched pitchers, and then we literally had six hits in a row up the middle. They were beautiful hits. They waited back and got confidence."
Darlington improved to 4-3 on the season. Having won just two games the past two seasons combined, Bennett said the newfound success was a real confidence boost for the team.
"They won 2 games last year and had no wins two years ago, so this is really giving them confidence," she said. "It's great, the attitudes are good. Of course, you have fun when you're winning. We have 11 on varsity, and they're all working hard. They want to keep improving."
The Redbirds head to Cuba City today for a game with the rival Cubans.
Barneveld 4, Monticello 3
MONTICELLO - Barneveld's Hailey Kleppe and Rachel Slaney came up with clutch hits in the seventh inning to come back to beat Monticello 4-3.
Monticello (7-2, 2-1 Six Rivers East) led 3-2 going into the seventh. The Eagles' No. 9 hitter Taylor Owens singled to start the rally. Kleppe doubled. Slaney followed with a game-tying RBI single to tie the game at 3. The Eagles scored the go-ahead run on a fielder's choice.
Monticello senior Jordyn Kubly walked in the bottom of the seventh and reached second base on a fielder's choice. However, the Ponies weren't able to drive her in.
"We couldn't get the big hit," Monticello coach Duane Garrison said. "We played a good game against a good team. They just got one more clutch hit than we did. I told (our team) they had nothing to hang their heads about."
Monticello's Claire Bruns pitched seven innings and gave up four runs on six hits. She struck out two and walked two. Jordyn Kubly went 1-for-2. Jordan Garrison, Broeckin Klosterman and sophomore Alyssah Kubly were each 1-for-3. Kubly had an RBI triple.
Argyle 10, Juda-Albany 0
Juda-Albany 5, Argyle 1
ARGYLE - Six Rivers East foes Juda-Albany and Argyle split a doubleheader Thursday night.
In game one, Kayla Ostby was 4-for-4 at the plate, and Jenna Langmeier was 3-for-4 for the Orioles. Argyle coach Dan Treuthardt said his team had some solid hits at the plate in both games, but was able to find more gaps in game one.
"We hit the ball real well in the first game," he said. "We hit the ball well in the second game too, but right at them. We had a lot of line shots that were caught. We just hit the ball to the wrong spots."
Jessica Treuthardt started both games for the Orioles. She threw a shutout in game one, giving up just four hits. She gave up five runs in game two, although only three of those were earned.
Juda-Albany's Tabatha Davis also started both games. The Orioles hit her hard in game one, racking up ten hits and eight runs in four innings. She turned around in game two, though, by pitching a complete game, giving up just one run and four hits.
Juda-Albany travels to Monticello on Tuesday. Argyle has a game on Saturday morning against Platteville. Treuthardt said he would use that game to get some other players some experience.
"To be honest, I don't know how much Jessica's going to pitch," he said. "She's pitched five games in the last six days. I don't know what exactly we'll do on Saturday. We've got some kids we need to get in, so that's going to be our priority, looking to get some other kids some opportunities."
Evansville 21, New Glarus 2
NEW GLARUS - The New Glarus softball team scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, to avoid a shutout against Evansville Thursday, April 25.
The Knights, led by starter Emma Jackson, held Evansville to just two runs through the first two innings, but the Blue Devils exploded for 17 runs in the runs in the third to put the game out of reach early.
"We started out really well," New Glarus coach Robert Wahl said. "When they scored the runs, there were only two errors. It was a deal where they had some good hits."
As the inning continued, Wahl thought that his players might have been pressing to get out of the long inning.
"We were hustling," he said. "I think we reached a point where we were trying a little too hard to make a play and get out of it."
Jackson took the loss for New Glarus, giving up 15 runs over three innings, while striking out four and walking one. She also was the leading hitter, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base. Hayley Latsch and Mikaela Gregory drove in New Glarus' only runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
"We're still hitting," Wahl said. "I still believe in them and what we're doing. This is our third game on the field, and we've had one practice (on the field). Everything that happened tonight is correctable."
The Knights will quickly move on to their next game, which will be their annual Strikeout for Cancer game at home against Capitol South rival Marshall.
"The strikeout for cancer game ... in some regards is becoming an emotional event for some of the kids," Wahl said. "It's a lot of work the girls put in. It's always been a personal thing, and I think it means a lot to them."
Lexa Speth, a teacher at the New Glarus Middle School recovering from pancreatic cancer, is scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Brodhead 11, East Troy 1
BRODHEAD - Amanda Pickel shut down the East Troy offense and the Brodhead bats lit up the scoreboard, as the Cardinals beat the Trojans 11-1 Tuesday evening.
Pickel gave up five hits and one earned run in her five innings. She also had three walks and two strikeouts.
Offensively, the Cardinals had 11 hits to go with their 11 runs. Pickel, Taylor Douglas, Tabby Harnack and Brooke Boegli all had two basehits for Brodhead. The Cardinals take on Parkview on Saturday.
