Jeremy Ratliff
Reporter
Monday night, Bluejay softball took a break from WVC action for a bout with GNC powerhouse Mosinee at the MARC.
As they have made a habit of this season; the ladies drew first blood with a 3-run volley in the second.
Taylor Krueger got the ball rolling with a pop fly to second base and scoring Calli Oberg. Madi Weix then cranked a single to the Mosinee pitcher, scoring Patience Pyan followed
by a Megan Schroder score off the throw.
Unfortunately, the Bluejay bats would go quiet and the Indians capitalized with a 3-run effort of their own in the top of the 4th, followed by 2 more in the fifth, three
in the sixth and a final nail in the coffin in the 7th to lock in the 9-3 win.
“For the second game in a row we didn’t bring the energy,” comments head coach Matt Ellenbecker.
“But this time it showed on the field. Offensively, we played alright. We left some runners on early when we were playing with a lead that could have maybe put some
more pressure on Mosinee. Maddix (Bonnell) was particularly impressive. You could tell she was locked in up there, covering both sides of the plate and hitting the ball hard to all fields.
I thought both Taylor (Krueger/L-8H-7R-4ER-K) and Megan (Schroder/H-2R-1ER) threw the ball well, but we just had defensive lapses in this one that cost us. Besides the 4 errors, there was a play or two that was very uncharacteristic of us that cost us some runs.
Lack of communication was a problem for the first time this year,” he adds.
“Mosinee is far too good a team to give multiple extra outs to, and they showed us that today. Hopefully this one serves as a bit of an eye-opener for us. If we
don’t bring energy on game day, we aren’t going to be nearly the team that we are capable of being.”
Batting: Calli Oberg (2/4, R, 2B, 3TB); Patience Pyan (2/4, R, 2TB); Maddix Bonnel (3/4, 3TB); Madisen Weix (1/3, 2RBI); Taylor Krueger (1/1, RBI)
MNE: 0 0 0 3 2 3 1-9
MRL: 0 3 0 0 0 0 0-3
Robbing the Raiders
Friday evening, Bluejay softball squared off with the Wisconsin Rapids Raiders in a WVC bout at Lincoln High School.
While the bats may have lay quiet in the first inning, the Jays blew the game open with a four-run melee led off by Calle Johnson’s score off a Megan Schroder bunt and ensuing error by the Raider first baseman. Then it would be Patience Pyan and Schroder’s turn to cross the plate for Merrill off a Madi Weix grounder. Weix then followed suit with her own trip home when Lindsey Casper ripped one to center field.
Keeping the Raiders off-base again in the third and fourth, Johnson and Kelsie Belfiori docked another pair of runs to set Merrill up 6-0 in the fourth.
The Raiders would finally manage to slow the Bluejay juggernaut in the fifth and counter with two runs to get on the board in the sixth, only to have the Jays respond with a vicious five-run onsaught in the seventh to seal the deal 11-2.
Krueger took the win for Merrill, striking out four and allowing just four hits.
“This was as good a game as we played all year,” Ellenbecker said.
“We were very strong in our offense, defense and pitching. We didn’t have great energy in pre-game, which is always concerning, but we came out, hit the ball hard, and took advantage of some mistakes of theirs. Everyone contributed in
this one. It was a terrific team win.”
Batting: Belfiori (3/5, R, 3TB); Pyan (3/4, 2R, RBI, 2B, 4TB); Bonnell (2/3, R, RBI, 2B, 3TB); C. Johnson (1/4, 2R, 2B, 2TB); C. Oberg (1/4, RBI, 2B, 2TB), M. Schroeder (1/3, 2R, 2RBI, TB); M. Weix (1/4, 2R, 3RBI, 2TB)
WRL: 0 0 0 0 0 2 0-2
MRL: 0 4 1 1 0 0 5-11