Hornets downed by Hawks and Cardinals

By Ginna Young

Cadott squeezed in two conference baseball games between inclement weather, but dropped both matches to their opponents.

April 19 vs. Bloomer conference (L 6-3)

Hosting Bloomer, Cadott saw a low-scoring game on their home field.

“We had a hard-fought game last night,” said coach Spencer Kempf.

The Blackhawks struck first in the match-up, with a run in the first inning. Cadott got on the board in the third, with a run of their own, but both teams would go on a scoring drought in the fourth and fifth innings.

“Warren Bowe really kept us in the game on the mound and at the plate, with a run-scoring double,” said Kempf. “A few more timely hits and I think the game could have ended with a different outcome.”

By the sixth inning, Bloomer was ready to play, adding 3 runs to their score. Cadott answered back on their side of the inning, with two runs, but the Blackhawks put up another two runs in the seventh, to take the bout, 6-3.

“We have been playing close games in late innings,” said Kempf, “it is up to us to put together a complete game and avoid the ‘big inning’ on defense, and we should start to see the script flip on some of these close games.”

The freshman Bowe went 5.1 innings on the mound, with just 4 hits and 3 runs, striking out 14 and walking 1 batter. Sophomore Connor Roth pitched 1.2 innings, allowing 4 hits, 3 runs and 3 walks, while striking out 2.

Offensively, the Hornets were lead by Bowe, who had 3 hits, followed by senior Ryan Sonnentag and junior Tristan Drier, with 1 hit each.

April 21 vs. Thorp conference (L 13-1)

“It was a tough loss yesterday.”

Kempf’s statement is likely agreed on by any Hornets fan, as Cadott couldn’t put runs on the board in an away game at Thorp.

The Cardinals scored a run in the first inning, then nine in the third and three in the fourth inning, while Cadott went scoreless until the fifth, collecting their first, and only, run, with the game going to Thorp, 13-1.

“Our offense just never got going, it is not easy to score runs with only three hits,” said Kempf. “This is an area we will need to improve on moving forward. Errors at critical moments in the game allowed walks to come around and score.”

Senior Ethan West pitched 2.2 innings, giving up 5 hits, 8 runs and 2 walks, with 4 strikeouts to his credit. Drier went 0.1 innings, for 1 hit and 4 runs, allowing 5 walks and striking out 1. Sophomore Henry Danielson went one inning on the mound, for 3 hits and 1 run.

Bowe ended the day batting with 2 hits and Sonnentag added 1 hit.

“As a team, we need to put this tough loss behind us and refocus on the games we have coming up,” said Kempf.