PATCH GROVE - With a win over Shullsburg/Benton last Tuesday night, followed by losses to Black Hawk and Belmont, the River Ridge/Cassville co-op softball team sits at 3-2 in Six Rivers conference action and 6-5 overall.
Like everyone else in the conference standings, coach Wade Winkers’ squad is chasing unbeaten Belmont, who improved to 6-0 this past Monday night with a 14-1 victory over the co-op team.
Against the visiting Braves on Monday night, River Ridge/Cassville gave up six runs in the top of the first inning and was forced to play catch-up the rest of the way against a very sound defensive squad.
The co-op team avoided the shutout with one run in the bottom of the third inning, but was unable to score any more runs against Belmont pitchers Sadie Wilborn and Paige Nolan.
Wilborn and Nolan combined to give up just two hits, while striking out six batters and walking one.
River Ridge/Cassville pitcher Jordyn Vogt gave up 12 earned runs off 13 hits, while striking out two batters and walking five in just over six innings of work.
Grace Hamann pitched the final two outs of the seventh inning for the co-op team.
Monday night’s loss came just four nights after coach Winkers’ squad suffered a 10-0 loss to host Black Hawk last Thursday night.
In that contest, the co-op squad was limited to just two hits in the shortened five-inning contest, while the Warriors scored 10 runs off five hits and four errors by their opponents.
In four innings of work, Vogt surrendered nine earned runs off five hits, while striking out one batter and walking five.
Last Tuesday night in a Six Rivers conference battle with Shullsburg/Benton, coach Winkers’ squad jumped out to an early lead, and was able to hold on for a 4-3 victory.
The co-op squad scored one run in the top of the first inning when Jordyn Vogt hit in Verity Johnson on a fielder’s choice.
Grace Mergen crossed the plate in the second inning for the visiting team, and in the third got an RBI fielder’s choice from Mahcoy Mumm and an RBI single by Mergen, to give the co-op team a 4-0 lead.
Shullsburg/Benton responded in the bottom of the sixth inning with a three-run rally, but its wasn’t enough to overcome their early deficit and avoid the loss.
Grace Mergen led River Ridge/Cassville with two hits and one RBI, while Vogt and Mahcoy Mumm each had RBIs in the win.
In picking up the win, Vogt held Shullsburg/Benton to no earned runs off six hits, while striking out five batters and walking two.
Following this past Tuesday night’s home game against visiting Potosi, River Ridge/Cassville will next host Juda/Albany on Thursday night at Cassville High School, then will host Lancaster on Friday night, also in Cassville.
River Ridge/Cassville 4, Benton/Shullsburg 3
(from Tuesday, April 18)
RR/Cass 112 000 0 - 4 4 0
Benton/Shulls 000 003 0 - 3 6 1
Leading hitters - RR/C: Grace Mergen 2x3; B/S: Emma Strang 2x4, Kay Cook 2x3. 2B - Nicole Sturmer (RR/C), Cook (B/S). 3B - Carver (B/S). W - Jordyn Vogt (7IN,6H,0ER,5K,2BB). L - Rennert (7IN,4H,3ER,3K,4BB).
Black Hawk 10, River Ridge/Cassville 0
(from Thursday, April 20)
RR/Cass 000 00 - 0 2 4
Black Hawk 060 4x - 10 5 3
Leading hitters - BH: Sammy Lovelace 2x2, Hannah Butler 2x3. HR - Jordan Delzer (BH). W - Hannah Butler (5IN,2H,0ER,5K,1BB). L - Jordyn Vogt (4IN,5H,9ER,1K,5BB).
Belmont 14, River Ridge/Cassville 1
(from Monday, April 24)
Belmont 610 002 5 - 14 13 2
RR/Cass 001 000 0 - 1 2 2
Leading hitters - B: M. Rand 2x4, P. Nolan 3x5, N. Knebel 2x5, L. Leahy 2x5. 2B - Nolan (B), Wilborn (B), Douglas (B). 3B - Rand (B). HR - Knebel (B). W - Sadie Wilborn (4IN,1H,1ER,4K,0BB). L - Jordyn Vogt (6.1IN,13H,12ER,2K,5BB). Other pitchers - RR: Grace Hamann (0.2IN,0H,0ER,0K,0BB); B: Paige Nolan (3IN,0H,0ER,2K,1BB).
