BELMONT – The race for the 2021 Six Rivers West softball title got really interesting on Monday night after Belmont rallied to knock off league leading Potosi/Cassville, 6-5, in thrilling game at Bond Park.
Belmont sophomore Mia Hodgson drilled a walk-off, RBI-double to lead the Braves (13-6 overall, 8-5 SRC) over the visiting Chieftains (9-5).
The Braves scored two runs in the home-half of the sixth inning to tie the score at 5-5, and then won it in the seventh on Hodgson’s double. Reese Runde scored on an error on a fly ball by Hodgson to start the scoring in the sixth, and then Hodgson came in to score on Molly Puls’ RBI-single to tie the game at five all.
Hodgson finished the game with two runs batted in and a run scored for the Braves. Runde also doubled and scored three times on the day, while Peyton Johnson went 2-for-4 at the plate with two run scored for Belmont.
Payton Johnsen earned the complete-game win in the pitcher’s circle, yielding two earned runs on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts.
Shae Siegert had a double and scored twice for the Chieftains, who currently sit in a tie for first-place with Highland (9-5) atop the SRW. Belmont is a game back with a game remaining against Pecatonica on Tuesday, June 8. (The results were not available at press time.)
Kylie Reuter had a double and a RBI while scoring twice for the co-op.
In other games over the past week, Belmont posted wins over Benton/Shullsburg, 10-0, at home on Tuesday, June 1, over Iowa-Grant, 16-6, at Cobb on Thursday, June 3, and over Juda/Albany, 9-4, at home on Friday, June 4. The Braves also fell at home to Highland, 6-2, at home on Wednesday, June 2.
Belmont opens the WIAA Division 5 tournament at home on Monday, June 14. The #4-seed Braves host #5-seed Highland in a regional semifinal game at Bond Park, starting at 5 p.m.
Benton/Shullsburg
BENTON – Senior Layla Alt hit a home run and a double while driving in four runs and scoring twice to lead the Benton-Shullsburg softball co-op over the visiting River Ridge Timberwolves, 11-1, in a Six Rivers West contest at Swift Park on Friday, June 4.
The Zephyr-Miners (5-12 overall, 3-10 SRC) trailed 1-0 heading into the home-half of the fourth inning, but rallied to score three runs in the frame to grab the lead and then added three runs in the fifth and tacked on five more insurance runs in the sixth to pull away for a mercy-rule victory.
Kennedy Allendorf drove in two runs and scored twice for Ben/Shulls, while Jaidyn Strang scored twice and drove in a run in the win. Taylor Mowry also scored twice for the hosts.
Pitcher Anna Richardson allowed one unearned run on two hits and two walks over four innings to earn the win in the circle. She finished with five strikeouts.
Coach Mark Brant’s crew had a tougher time in their two other games last week, falling 10-0 at Belmont on Tuesday, June 1, and dropping a 7-3 decision to Barneveld at home on Thursday, June 3.
Belmont’s Ashley Freeman and Reese Runde combined for four hits, three RBI and five runs scored to back a combined one-hit shutout by Braves’ pitchers Payton Johnsen and Mia Hodgson.
In Thursday’s game, Barneveld’s Leah Marx cracked a three-run home run in the fourth inning to erase the Zephyr-Miners’ early lead, and then drilled another three-run blast in the top of the seventh to lift the Golden Eagles to victory.
Strang homered and drove in two runs for the hosts, while Alt doubled and scored a run.
Zephyr-Miners’ hurler Camden Russell fanned eight batters.
Benton/Shullsburg opens the WIAA Division 5 tournament at home on Wednesday, June 9. The #7-seed Zephyrs-Miners host #10-seed Ithaca (0-15) in a regional quarterfinal game at Swift Park in Benton, starting at 5 p.m.
Darlington
DARLINGTON – The Darlington Redbirds softball team was busy over the final week of the regular season facing three SWAL foes in four games over the span of seven days.
The Redbirds (1-15 overall, 0-14 SWAL) found themselves playing from behind in all four games. Southwestern plated eight runs in the top of the first inning en route to a 17-2 win over the Redbirds at Sieg Field on Tuesday, June 1.
Cori Golackson drove in both of the Redbirds’ runs in the game.
Darlington returned to Sieg Field to host Mineral Point in a doubleheader on Wednesday, June 2. The Redbirds fell behind the Pointers, 4-0, in the top of the first inning on the way to a 16-4 loss in game one.
Laura Sturtz went 2-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored for the hosts, while Ashlynn Norgard added a RBI and a run.
The Birds jumped out to a 1-0 lead in game two when Greta Volkening led off the game with a single and came in to score on another single by Cayla Golackson for an early advantage. However, the Pointers came storming back with seven runs of their own in the bottom of the first to overtake the Birds, and they rolled on to post an 11-1 win for the sweep.
Volkening went 2-for-2 in game two to finish the day with four hits.
Finally, at Cuba City, on Monday, June 7, the host Cubans scored five times in the bottom of the first inning to take control of the game, and then plated six more runs in the fifth frame to run away with an 11-1 SWAL win.
Volkening went 2-for-3 at the plate, while Brenna Grossen singled in Norgard for the Birds’ lone run.
Darlington will open the WIAA Division 4 softball tournament by traveling to Fennimore on Wednesday, June 2, to face the Golden Eagles in a regional quarterfinal contest, starting at 5 p.m.
Black Hawk
BARNEVELD - Emma Gordon bashed a grand slam home run to highlight an eight-run rally in the bottom of the first inning as the host Barneveld Golden Eagles blanked the Black Hawk Warriors, 12-0, in a five-inning Six Rivers East softball game at BHS on Tuesday, June 1.
The Warriors received the #9-seed for the WIAA Division 5 softball tournament and will open play by heading to Hazel Green to face the #8-seeded Southwestern Wildcats in a regional quarterfinal affair beginning at 4:30 p.m.
