For the Tomahawk Leader
MOSINEE – The Tomahawk Hatchet softball team came away with two wins after a packed week.
Mosinee
The Hatchets kicked off last week’s action in Mosinee on Tuesday, May 3, where they ultimately fell by a score of 8-2.
Maddie Marino took the loss on the mound, striking out six and giving up seven hits.
Offensively, the Hatchets were led by Scout Stromberg, going 3-4 with a run scored. Bella Marino was 2-3 with an RBI, and Maddie Marino was 2-4. The Hatchets collectively had seven hits for the game.
The difference in the game came defensively, with the Hatchets committing seven errors. Mosinee would score eight runs, with only three being earned.
Antigo
On Thursday, May 5, Tomahawk hosted Antigo and lost by a score of 12-3.
Maddie Marino took the loss on the mound, striking out seven and giving up seven hits.
“Offensively, we got off to a great start, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first and collecting three hits,” said coach John Larson. “After that, the Hatchets struggled at the plate. We put the ball in play, but nothing was hit real hard. The remainder of the game we would have just two more hits, ending the night with just five hits total.”
Sara Gebauer led the way, going 2-4. Defensively, the Hatchets turned in a solid effort.
“As for the Red Robins, they took advantage of some walks and some big hits to blow the game wide open and leave town with the win,” Larson stated.
Northland Pines
The Hatchets traveled to Northland Pines on Friday, May 6 and came away with a victory.
Kayleigh Haring got the win on the mound on her first career varsity start. She would finish the night with 15 strikeouts, one walk and six hits.
“Kayleigh located her pitches really well and threw an excellent change up,” Larson noted.
Offensively, the Hatchets had their best night of the year, pounding out 15 hits. Bella Marino led the way, going 3-4 with three runs scored. Sammy Gebauer was 2-5 with 3 RBIs. Scout Stromberg, Macy Jankiewicz, Hannah Beranek, and Kayleigh Haring each had two hits.
Defensively, the Hatchets committed seven errors.
“Northland Pines took advantage of those timely mistakes, which made this game closer than it should have been,” Larson said.
Gilman tournament
The Hatchets took part in a tournament in Gilman on Saturday, May 7, where they lost one game and won another.
Tomahawk took on Hurley in game one and fell by a score of 11-3.
Kayleigh Haring took the loss on the mound, striking out six and walking three. For five innings, the game would be close, with Hurley leading 5-3. The Midgets would break the game open in the 6th, scoring four runs on three hits and two walks.
Offensively, the Hatchets only were able to come up with three hits after the third inning.
“We had some opportunities to close the gap with runners in scoring position, but never came up with the big hit to gain some momentum,” Larson stated.
The Hatchets were led on offense by Bella Marino, going 2-4 with a triple and two runs scored. Maddie Marino and Emerson Lange went 1-3 with a triple.
“Credit to Hurley – they are fundamentally sound,” Larson said. “They came up with some big hits when they needed to, defensively had just one error and their pitching was solid.”
Game two saw Tomahawk take down Shell Lake by a score of 6-2.
Kayleigh Haring got the win on the mound, throwing a two-hitter with two strikeouts and three walks.
“Kayleigh again located her pitches really well and kept Shell Lake off balance the entire game,” Larson noted.
Maddie Marino led the way offensively, going 2-3 with a double, three runs scored and two RBIs. Bryn Baalke, in her first varsity start, went 1-3 with 2 RBIs.
On defense, the Hatchets committed one error in the game.
“This was an excellent all around game for the Hatchets,” Larson said. “Offensively coming up with some big hits, we ran the bases well, executed and made big plays defensively and got another great pitching effort.”
After the tournament, Larson noted that the Hatchets had a good day of softball.
“I love how we competed, brought some energy, intensity and fight to the park especially in game 2,” he stated. “We are definitely better going into the stretch run of the season. I think our girls were able to see what this team is capable of. We need to continue to get better each day. We don’t ever want to be satisfied. We need to stay hungry so that when tournament time rolls around we are playing our best ball. “
After last week’s action, Tomahawk’s overall record stood at 5-7 and with the conference record at 3-4.
The Hatchets are slated to host Northland Pines on Monday, May 9, before traveling to Lakeland to take on the Thunderbirds on Thursday May 12, in a game that starts at 4:30 p.m. The following day, the Hatchets will head to Antigo for a matchup that gets underway at 4:30 p.m. Tomahawk will host Mosinee on Monday, May 16, with game time at 4:30 p.m.