The Hatchet softball team took care of business in the first round of the playoffs last Thursday, knocking off Lakeland by a 9-2 tally.
“It was a solid game overall,” THS coach John Larson said. “I was pleased with the way our defense played. (Pitchers) Mallory (Christianson) and Kaitlin (Doughty) combined kept Lakeland off balance.”
Christianson (2 H, 2 W, 2 K, 0 R in 4 I) picked up the win, and Doughty (2 H, 3 W, 7 K, 2 R, 1 ER in 3 I) put in a strong performance.
Stephanie Welke (2-3), Kacey Iwen (2-4) and Kelsey Paramore (2-5) each had a multi-hit game with an RBI. Tomahawk finished with 10 hits and left 10 on base. Kendall Nelson stole two bases. Seven different batters drove in a run.
Tomahawk scored trios of runs in the second and third innings for an early 6-0 lead, then scored another trey in the sixth after the T-Birds had cut it to 6-2 in the fifth.
Larson had some reservations about the contest, especially since THS had dismantled Lakeland 17-0 on May 19.
“We need to eliminate the walks,” he said. “We have to force teams to earn their way on base. Offensively we were good enough to get the win, but we left way too many runners in scoring position on base. We have been getting the big hit in the last several games, but (Thursday night) we didn’t. We need to score runs when we have the opportunities.
“Nonetheless, it was a good win and a good start to the tournament.”
The Hatchets left the bases loaded in the third, and stranded runners at second and third in the second and fifth frames. Two other runners wasted on third.
Tomahawk improved to 10-11 on the season. The Hatchets had closed out a 6-6 fourth-place GNC schedule last Monday.