Conference leaders shut Gilman out; Pirates ease past Blackhawks
GILMAN SOFTBALL
For the most part this softball season, the Gilman Pirates have made solid contact and have been able to score runs effectively.
That changed Monday when they were handcuffed by Columbus Catholic’s Hailey Zimmermann and Akosua Yeboah in an 8-0 loss to the Eastern Cloverbelt Conference leaders.
The Pirates had just one hit, that coming off the bat of Ava Warner and had one serious scoring threat. That came in the bottom of the second when the Pirates loaded the bases but the Dons got the third out on a close call at first base on a ground ball hit by Kenlyn Kroeplin. With the top of the order to follow the Pirates may have been in line to do some damage, trailing just 2-0 at the time.
Instead, they never got much going again on the offensive end. Columbus Catholic scored three times in the fifth to go up 5-0 and put the game away with three in the fifth.
The Pirates struck out 13 times and drew four walks in the loss. Gilman pitcher Tatum Weir struck out three hitters and walked six. The Dons got a home run from Shelby Spata in one of their offensive highlights. They sit at 9-0 in league play and 13-2 overall going into a home game tonight, Thursday, against Neillsville that could basically clinch the conference title if they win.
Neillsville is the one team that still has a shot at Columbus at 10-1 in league play.
“They have a nice team this year, they really do,” Gilman head coach Brian Phelps said of Columbus Catholic. “They pitch the ball well, they’re playing good defense this year and they hit the ball well.”
Gilman fell to 6-3 in the conference and 8-5 overall. The Pirates go to Loyal- Greenwood today, Thursday, in a 5 p.m. game that has been switched from Greenwood to Loyal. They’ll host Colby-Abbotsford at 5 p.m. on Monday and finish league play at Columbus Catholic May 18.
In between, the Gilman-Thorp Slamfest is set for Saturday. The Pirates are scheduled to play Glenwood City at noon and Cornell-Lake Holcombe at 4 p.m.
Two wins over O-W
Gilman easily swept back-to-back games against Owen-Withee late last week in conference play.
At home Thursday, an eight-run second inning overturned a 3-1 deficit and sent the Pirates to a 14-3 win in five innings. Weir struck out nine. Six walks got her into some trouble, especially in the Blackhawks’ three-run second-inning rally, but she settled in. She also led the offense by going three for four with two doubles and five runs batted in. She scored twice.
Abby Chaplinski was three for three with two doubles and three RBIs. Jayda Rosemeyer was two for three and drove in two.
Three walks and a hit batter got the big second-inning rally started. Weir drilled a three-run double to put Gilman ahead for good. Chaplinski had an RBI single and Rosemeyer knocked in two with a base hit.
Weir and Chaplinski hit back-to-back doubles and Chaplinski scored on Rosemeyer’s hit to make it 11-3 in the third. Weir hit a two-run single to highlight Gilman’s three-run fourth.
On a rainy Friday afternoon at Owen-Withee, the Pirates completed the sweep with a 19-5 win, also in five innings. Gilman scored in each inning, getting four in the top of the first, one in the second and three in the third to build an 8-1 lead. The Blackhawks got four in the bottom of the fourth, when they got their only three hits, to pull within 10-5, but Gilman ended it with a nine-spot in the top of the fifth.
Weir struck out five and walked two Blackhawks.
Kayleigh James was three for four and scored three times. Weir was two for two with a double. Eva Kopacz was two for four and scored twice. Kroeplin was two for four and scored two runs as well. Rosemeyer drew five walks. Finding the strike zone was difficult at times for pitchers in the wet conditions. The Pirates had 10 hits total.
Owen-Withee is 1-9 in conference play.
Gilman’s Allie Olynick cleanly fields a ground ball at second base and completes the throw to first for an easy out during the fifth inning of Thursday’s 14-3 win over Owen-Withee.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS
