Tiger girls split playoff games
WCLT ends regular season with split at EG, loss @ NI
By ERIC VANSICKLE, News-Tribune Sportswriter
BUFFALO CENTER - The Woden-Crystal Lake-Titonka softball team had one bad inning at the wrong time.
The Tigers lost Monday to North Kossuth, 6-1, in a Class 1A district softball final here, two days after they defeated North Iowa to open postseason play Saturday, 6-2.
In Saturday's first round, Allyson Gross' bases-loaded triple in the third inning got the Tigers going against the Lady Bison. She later scored on an error by Danni Thomsen on the next batter.
"That gave us the momentum," Tiger coach Teresa Schwartz said. "They made some errors, but we knew we had control of the game.
"We used the three Ds of success - dedication, determination and desire."
Megan Swingen got the win in the circle. She struck out eight and walked three as she allowed four hits and two earned runs.
The win avenged Thursday's loss to the Lady Bison (see details below).
In Monday's district final, WCLT jumped out to the early lead, but a five-run North Kossuth put the Tigers in a hole from which they could not recover.
WCLT took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Megan Lee reached on an error, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on an Allison Dross sacrifice fly.
Junior pitcher Megan Swingen, meanwhile, got off to a great start - giving up just one hit and striking out three in the first two innings.
But the bottom of the third proved to be WCLT's undoing as North Kossuth batted around and plated five runs.
"We have to give them credit because they came up with some timely hits," Schwartz said. "They did what you have to in tournament play - they put a rally together."
WCLT managed just three hits - one each by Amber Kluver, Christina Mewes and Kelli Arnold - off North Kossuth's Autumn Engels, who ended the game with six strikeouts.
Swingen, meanwhile, finished with seven strikeouts and didn't walk a batter. She finished the season with 189 strikeouts.
Although Schwartz was disappointed in the ending, she said her team had a "really outstanding year." The Tigers went 20-11 and claimed the North Star Conference tournament championship.
"The girls worked hard, and even on a night like tonight, they really came out and left it all out there," Schwartz said, "and there's really not much more you can ask for from a team."
In regular-season action, the Tigers split their games in the triangular held at Eagle Grove July 13. They defeated North Central, 4-0, but lost to the host Eagles, 10-1.
They followed that with a 13-1, three-inning victory Wednesday over Northwood-Kensett.
The Tigers also played at North Iowa Thursday night, losing 4-3 to the Lady Bison.
Tigers 4,
North Central 0
EAGLE GROVE - Amber Kluver was 2-for-3 with a double and Brittany Schwartz had two RBIs to help Stacey Schutjer win her first varsity game pitching, 4-0.
Schutjer, an eighth grader, only allowed two hits and struck out four while walking no one.
"It was a fun game," said Coach Schwartz. "We all did our jobs and worked as a team, and we were supportive of each other."
Eagle Grove 10, Tigers 1
EAGLE GROVE - In the nightcap of the triangular, the Tigers committed six fielding errors, which led to five unearned runs, in Eagle Grove's 10-1 win.
"We didn't get into this game," Schwartz said. "They came out hard, scoring three quick runs, and we gave up the fight.
"We made fielding errors and judgment errors. Hopefully we got them all out of the way, so we can play the ball we're capable of playing."
Kelli Arnold had the Tigers' only run of the game. She hit a single to left in the second, then scored after three passed balls.
Tigers 13,
Northwood-Kensett 1 (3)
WODEN - The Tigers recovered Wednesday from the previous night's debacle by batting through the order twice in the second in a 13-1, three-inning whitewash of Northwood-Kensett.
The entire line-up reached base the first time through the order in the second. Kelli Arnold and Meggie Lee had doubles and Brittany Schwartz had a triple to highlight the frame.
Allyson Gross went 3-for-3 and had two RBIs, scoring once. Amber Kluver was 2-for-3 and Megan Swingen went 2-for-2, as each had three RBIs.
"We hit all the gaps, hit after hit," Schwartz said.
"This was a good confidence builder. We hit like we've never hit before."
The game didn't start so well for the Tigers. They started with two errors, leading to an unearned Viking run.
"Then we decided no more," Schwartz said. "This game was ours."
Lady Bison 4, Tigers 3
BUFFALO CENTER - In a possible foreshadow to their first-round playoff meeting that came in two days time, North Iowa decided to tap the Tigers' bandwagon's brakes in a 4-3 victory.
The Tigers had a 3-1 lead after three innings, and they scored their runs in the third. Swingen scored on a stolen base and two passed balls after she reached on a fielder's choice.
Gross walked and stole second, followed by Amber Kluver hitting a double to left-center. Brittany Schwartz followed with an RBI single to right.
North Iowa retook the lead in the fifth with three runs of their own. In the inning, the Tigers committed their only error of the game.
"But we made some poor judgment errors," Coach Schwartz said. "We can't afford mental errors at this point."
Swingen struck out two in six innings without a walk. She allowed seven hits and just two earned runs.
-- Forest City Summit editor Bob Fenske contributed to this report.
Tigers 4, North Central 0
July 13 at Eagle Grove
WCLT 001 020 1 - 4 3 1
North Central 000 000 0 - 0 2 1
Stacey Schutjer (W, CG, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) and Amber Kluver, Melanie Hofmann (5). Mandie Bird (L, CG, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 9 BB, 3 K) and Dalcy Henniger.
Hits - Kluver 2-3, Brittney Schwartz 1-2, Bird 1-2, Steph Haacke 1-3. RBI - Schwartz 2, Kluver, Christina Mewes. 2B - Kluver. E - Kelli Arnold, Bird. LOB - WCLT 9, NC 3. SAC - Allyson Gross, Mewes. SB - Meggie Lee, Mewes. PB - Henniger.
Eagle Grove 10, Tigers 1
July 13 at Eagle Grove
WCLT 010 000 0 - 1 2 6
Eagle Grove 320 410 x - 10 9 1
Megan Swingen (L, 6 IP, 9 H, 10 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) and Kluver. S. Bochel (W, CG, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) and J. Burres.
Hits - Mewes 1-3, Arnold 1-3, M. Lindstrom 2-3, L. Schriver 2-4, Burres 2-4, Bochel 1-3, C. Jeske 1-3, B. Ollein 1-4. RBI - Jeske 4, Burres 3, Shriver, Bochel. E - Arnold 4, Lee, Mewes, Jeske. LOB - WCLT 3, EG 7. SAC - Swingen 2, Gross. SB - Shriver. CS - Mewes, Bochel. WP - Swingen. PB - Kluver, Burres 4. HBP - Bochel by Swingen.
Tigers 13, Northwood-Kensett 1 (3)
Wednesday at Woden
Northwood-Kensett 100 - 1 0 2
WCLT 0(13)x - 13 13 2
Swingen (W, 3 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) and Kluver. Jenny Johnson (L, 2 IP, 13 H, 13 R, 10 ER, 3 BB, 0 K) and Brooke Nadtvolt.
Hits - Gross 3-3, Arnold 2-2, Swingen 2-2, Kluver 2-3, Lee 1-2, Schwartz 1-3, Mewes 1-2, Jaci Bruns 1-2. RBI - Swingen 3, Kluver 3, Gross 2, Bruns 2, Schwartz, Mewes, Arnold, Jessie Johnson. 2B - Lee, Arnold. 3B - Schwartz. E - Mewes, Arnold, Erin Bedford, Katie Sime. LOB - N-K 1, WCLT 4. SAC - Jessie Johnson. SB - Swingen.
North Iowa 4, Tigers 3
Thursday at Buffalo Center
WCLT 003 000 0 - 3 8 1
North Iowa 010 030 x - 4 7 0
Swingen (L, 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) and Kluver. North Iowa No. 5 (W, CG, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K) and Sarah Smith.
Hits - Schwartz 3-4, Swingen 2-4, Kluver 1-4, Mewes 1-3, Lee 1-3, Rachel Hansen 3-3, Britta Anderson 1-3. RBI - Kluver, Schwartz. 2B - Kluver. E - Gross. SAC - Gross. SB - Swingen 3, Gross. LOB - WCLT 7, NI 5. PB - Smith 2. HBP - Melanie Hageman by Swingen.
Class 1A district semifinal
Saturday at Buffalo Center
Tigers 6, North Iowa 2
North Iowa 000 000 2 - 2 4 4
WCLT 004 020 x - 6 7 1
Swingen (W, CG, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K) and Kluver. Alyssa Anderson (L, 6 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) and Smith.
Hits -Schutjer 2-2, Bruns 2-3, Gross 1-3, Lee 1-4, Swingen 1-4, Alyssa Sime 2-3, Danni Thomsen 1-3, Smith 1-3. RBI - Gross 3, Kluver, Thomsen 2. 3B - Gross. E - Bruns, Thomsen 2, Kelly Frerichs, Anderson. LOB - NI 4, WCLT 5. SAC - Schutjer. SB - Gross. PB - Smith 2. HBP - Lane Siemens by Swingen.
Story created Jul 20, 2004 - 09:34:09 CDT.
|
