For the Tomahawk Leader
TOMAHAWK – The Tomahawk Hatchet softball team won one of three games last week.
Northland Pines
The Hatchets hosted Northland Pines on Monday, May 9 and fell by a score of 15-13.
Kayleigh Haring took the loss on the mound, striking out five.
“It was a great start for the Hatchets, jumping out to a 10-5 lead after four innings,” said coach John Larson. “Unfortunately we couldn’t hold that lead. (We) allowed Northland Pines to have a big 5th inning. They would score nine runs in the frame and take a 14-10 lead.”
Offensively the Hatchets were led by Bella Marino going 3-5 with a double and three runs scored. The Hatchets collectively had 12 hits for the game. Sammy Gebauer, Scout Stromberg, Maddie Marino and Grace Beranek each had two hits.
Tomahawk was perfect defensively, not committing an error.
“The difference in the game was Northland Pines came up with big hits with runners in scoring position,” Larson stated. “We had those same opportunities, but could not get that big hit. On the night, we stranded seven runners in scoring position. I love how we started the game and competed for seven innings. The fight is there; we just need to finish.”
Lakeland
On Thursday, May 12, the Hatchets traveled to Lakeland, where they earned a 4-3 win.
Kayleigh Haring got the win on the mound, striking out five and scattering five hits.
Larson noted that the Hatchets struggled at the plate. Maddie Marino would get the only hit of the night, while Lakeland’s Saylor Timmerman dominated on the mound for much of the game. She would also give Lakeland a 2-0 lead in the first with a two-run home run.
In the end, the Hatchets were able to manufacture enough runs to win it. A hit batter, stolen base, pass ball and an RBI single by Sammy Gebauer in the 3rd inning would cut Lakeland lead in half at 2-1. It wouldn’t be until the 6th inning when the Hatchets would take the lead. A walk, a couple errors, stolen bases and a wild pitch plated three runs. Lakeland would respond with one run in the 7th and had runners on 2nd and 3rd, but Kayleigh Haring would get their #2 hitter to fly out to right to end the game.
Defensively, the Hatchets turned in a solid effort with just one error.
“We found a way to win,” Larson said. “I loved our grit, how we made things happen and took advantage of the opponent’s weaknesses. Sometimes you just have to win ugly.”
Antigo
The Hatchets took on Antigo in a road matchup on Friday, May 13 and ultimately lost by a score of 8-5.
Kayleigh Haring took the loss on the mound, finishing the night with two strikeouts and two walks.
“Kayleigh located her pitches really well, had her changeup working and gave us an opportunity to win on the road,” Larson stated.
The Hatchets had 10 hits. Emerson Lange led the way, going 3-4 with a run scored. Macy Jankiewicz was 2-4, and Scout Stomberg had an RBI triple.
Larson said the difference in the game came defensively, with the Hatchets committing seven errors.
“Antigo took advantage of those timely mistakes scoring eight runs, of which only two were earned,” Larson stated. “Bottom line, we need to clean things up defensively. With tournament time approaching, this type of game will lead to an early exit. We need to find consistency in all phases of the game. If we do, we will have a tremendous amount of success in the tournament.”
The Hatchets were slated to host Mosinee on Monday, May 16 and Lakeland on Tuesday, May 17 ahead of a Regional matchup on Thursday, May 19.