MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM CO-GAME OF THE WEEK (May 6–13)
RIDGE & VALLEY SOFTBALL: Wauzeka–Steuben 2, Seneca 0
By Derick Kelly, Courier Press
Hornets complete sweep of Royals with 2–0 shutout win
WAUZEKA — Coming off their non-conference loss at Belmont on Friday, May 2, the Wauzeka–Steuben Hornets softball team looked to get back to its winning ways. They had plenty of chances to do so with four games scheduled last week.
First up for the Hornets last Monday, May 5, was a trip to North Crawford and the Hornets came away with a 18–0 win in five innings. The Hornets scored 12 runs in the top of the first inning to take an early lead they would not let go of. WS scored once in the second and fourth innings and four times in the fifth inning.
The Hornets had 20 hits as a team and were paced at the plate by Emma Wall (4-for-4 with 3 doubles, a walk, two runs scored and two RBIs), Brianna Ray (3-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored and one RBI), Sophia Walz (3-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBIs). The Hornets also got a home run from Avery Kilburg, a triple from Claudia Walz, two doubles from Kiley Manning and a double from Savannah Swatek. Pitching duties were spread out between Wall, Ray, Alayna Krachey and Devyn Allert with Ray earning the win.
Wauzeka–Steuben traveled to Seneca last Tuesday night to take on the Royals and the Hornets defeated the hosts 11–0. The Hornets scored in every inning except two (the first and sixth). Ray got the win on the mound for WS, allowing zero runs on four hits and one walk with strikeouts in seven innings pitched.
The Hornets once again hit the ball well as a team, collecting 12 hits in the game. They were led at the plate by Isabella Bunders (3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs), S. Walz (3-for-5 with one run scored and three RBIs and Wall (2-for-4 with a double, one walk, one run scored and two RBIs). Brigid Hall took the loss for the Royals. Seneca was also held to four hits as a team with Raya Wallin (2-for-3) having half of them. The other two hits came from Brittany Heisz and Ava Sime.
The two teams matched up again two days later in Wauzeka. Strong pitching limited the two teams to just seven base hits. The Hornets got on the scoreboard first when Emma Wall homered in the bottom of the first to give W-s an early 1–0 lead. The Hornets would add to it with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to make the score 2–0, which would end up being the final score.
Hall (two runs allowed on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 6.0 innings pitched) suffered the tough luck loss on the mound for Seneca while Ray (zero runs allowed on two hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in 7.0 innings pitched) earned the win for WS. Raya Wallin (2-for-3 with a double) was the Royals leading hitter in the game, while Wall (2-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and one RBI) paced the Hornets offense, which also got hits from S. Walz, Allert and Kilburg.
The Hornets traveled to Cashton the following evening to conclude their schedule for the week and came back with a 13–3 victory. After taking a 2–0 lead in the top of the first innings, WS quickly fell behind when the Eagles scored three times in the bottom of first. The Hornets would tie the game up in the third inning with a run, before breaking it open with five runs in the fourth, three in the sixth and two in the seventh for the final 13–3 score. Wall earned the win for W-S, striking out seven and walking three in four hitless innings.
The Hornets offensive attack was led by Manning (3-for-4 with a double, home run, one walk, two runs scored and 5 RBIs) and Bunders (2-for-3 with one walk and four runs scored) with Ray adding a double as well.
