Offense is clutch late in wins over Somerset, Shawano, Antigo

MEDFORD SOFTBALL

The Medford Raiders didn’t collect a lot of hits but they got clutch hits while adding three more wins in a three-day span for a 10-0 start to the softball season.

Freshman Zayleah Leonhardt hit her second game-winning home run of the season to lift the Raiders to a 4-3 win over Somerset in the first round of Saturday’s Shawano Quad, where the Raiders went 2-0 by getting four sixth-inning hits in a three-run rally that beat the host Hawks 5-2 in the second game.

Two days earlier, it was freshman Finley Arndt who got the big hit, driving in two runs with a fifth-inning hit that beat Antigo 3-2.

At 3-0 in the Great Northern Conference, the Raiders hold a one-game lead over 2-1 Mosinee, who they are scheduled to see for the first time this season Tuesday on the Indians’ home field. Medford’s home game this Tuesday with Northland Pines was moved to Friday due to Sunday night’s snowstorm. That move cancels Medford’s originally-scheduled trip to New Richmond that day. The Raiders will play a GNC “home” game against Rhinelander today, Thursday, at 5:40 p.m. at the Hodag Dome.

2-0 at Shawano

Leonhardt’s two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning capped a threerun rally that overturned a 3-1 deficit to Somerset in Saturday’s first game at Shawano.

Until then, Spartans’ pitcher Hayley Settem had held the Raiders to just one unearned run on two hits while striking out six. But in the bottom of the sixth, Arndt got the go-ahead rally started with a one-out single and moved to second on a passed ball.

Allie Paulson tripled to knock her in and then was along for the ride when Leonhardt smacked her third homer of the season to put Medford on top. Her first home run was a walk-off grand slam that beat Wausau West on March 24.

From there, pitcher Martha Miller set Somerset down in order in the top of the seventh to get her eighth pitching win of the season.

Paulson went two for three with two RBIs. Her base hit knocked in Arndt in the first inning, giving the Raiders a short-lived 1-0 lead. Leonhardt, Arndt, Eryka Seidl and Jada Surek each had one of the six hits the Raiders got off Settem.

Miller struck out 12, walked two and allowed six hits. The Spartans got two runs in the top of the second with help from an error and a hit by McKenna Burger. Burger singled in the fifth, got to third base and scored on an errant throw home on a grounder hit by Kendra Pritchett.

After losing 9-4 to Winneconne in their first game, the Shawano Hawks jumped out to a 2-0 first-inning lead against the Raiders but were shut down from there by Miller and the defense. Miller struck out 14 Hawks and allowed no earned runs and three hits, two of which came in that first inning, along with an error, a sacrifice bunt and an infield hit by Braylyn Babino that drove in a run.

The Raiders tied the game in the bottom of the third. Miller singled, Arndt reached on an error and, with one out, Leonhardt came through again, singling in both runners.

Leonhardt started the winning rally in the sixth with a base hit, which was followed by another from Seidl. Chelsea Gebauer’s single and an error by the leftfielder scored the go-ahead run. Tori Konieczny hit a sacrifice fly to score one and Ava Hartl’s base knock drove in the third and final run of the inning.

Leonhardt led Medford’s seven-hit attack by going two for two with two RBIs. Miller, Seidl, Gebauer, Konieczny and Hartl had one hit apiece.

Winneconne beat Somerset 6-5 in the quad’s fourth game.

Medford 3, Antigo 2

Arndt’s bases-loaded, two-out, tworun single in the fifth gave Medford the lead and the defense held from there Thursday in a 3-2 win over rival Antigo in a key early-season Great Northern Conference matchup between two of last year’s tri-champions.

Arndt’s hit overturned a 2-1 deficit in a good pitchers’ duel between Miller and Antigo sophomore Bethany Lewis and pushed Medford to 3-0 in league play. The game was moved to Medford and the May 9 rematch will now be played in Antigo.

After Medford took a 1-0 lead in the first on a runscoring sacrifice by Paulson, the Red Robins scraped for single runs in the third and fourth innings to grab the lead. Lewis singled to lead off the third and two Medford errors helped her find her way across the plate. Miller’s only walk issued in the game loaded the bases with two outs, but she got a strikeout to keep the game tied.

In the fourth, Tristen Arlen hit a leadoff double to deep right-center, was bunted to third by Molly Neufeld and scored on a groundout by Lewis.

After Miller struck out the top three hitters in Antigo’s order in the top of the fifth, Medford got its chance in the bottom half. Surek entered the game as a pinchhitter and singled to right with one out. Hartl’s base hit moved runner Hope Faude to second and Rylee Hraby bunted the runners to second and third. Lewis pitched carefully around Miller, walking her on four pitches to get to Arndt, who was hitting out of the two-spot in the order for the first time. The freshman delivered immediately dumping a looper into shallow right that scored Faude and Hartl.

Miller retired six of the last seven batters she faced with Paulson fielding two ground balls from shortstop and Faude fielding one at second base to end it in the seventh.

Medford had just four hits off Lewis, who struck out three and walked one. Miller allowed three hits and one earned run while striking out eight.