Softball wins one, loses to Dons

The Colby/Abby softball team split the last two games of their regular season. They handily defeated the Owen-Withee Blackhawks last Thursday, 16-4. The season finale was a different story, as a big inning for the Dons would cause the co-op to fall to Columbus-Catholic, 13-3. With the final two games in the books, the softball team finished with a 5-8 regular season record.

13-3

For their final regular season game of 2022, the co-op played host to Columbus on Tuesday. The Dons proved to be too much to handle and the co-op fell 13-3.

Much like their first match-up against Columbus, it would be one big inning that would be the co-op’s downfall.

After giving up seven runs in the first inning in the prior game against the Dons this season, the Colby/Abby club was off to a much better start on Tuesday afternoon. They held even with their conference foes through three innings, with both teams playing solid defense and stranding runners on base.

The fourth inning would be the difference maker. Freshman Tatum Bargender continued to pitch well for the co-op, but Columbus would capitalize on errors committed by the home team to break the tie game and give them a two run lead. A hit slapped down the third base line would plate two more for the Dons and then a bunt that slipped past the infi elders would score a fifth run.

The dagger would come on a ball hit on a rope to right field by Dons third baseman Cierra Dierienger. The ball would sail just past right fielder Sierra Strassburger, bouncing to the wall as two Columbus baserunners scored. Dierienger cruised around the bases, beating the throw home easily for an inside-the-park home run that would give the visitors a commanding 8-0 lead.

The co-op needed to respond, but Dons pitcher Hailey Zimmerman would strike out the side in the bottom of the fourth, putting the momentum firmly in the visitors favor.

The two teams traded runs as the game progressed, but the co-op was never able to overcome the fourth inning deficit. Bargender would pitch the entire game for the co-op, striking out five and walking four. Sophomore McKinley Klabon and freshmen Neveah Treankler and Halie VanLuven would score the co-op’s

16-4

The co-op was on the road last Friday, taking on the Owen-Withee Blackhawks. The Colby/Abby combination swept the season series in a dominant performance, defeating the home team 16-4.

Senior Alea Graff, sophomore Josie Higley and freshman Neveah Treankler each had three hits as the co-op would score a season high 16 runs over the

three runs. course of six innings, tying their run output from the season opener against Spencer. After they had suffered from falling behind early in several of their games last week, the co-op flipped the script in Owen, scoring early and adding to that lead throughout the game. Consistency was the name of the game for the offense, as they would score at least once in every inning of the game.

“We were able to be confident in our abilities and find pitches we were able to hit,” head coach Laura Kneifl said. “We can definitely take [that] confidence to transfer over to future games.

Bargender and the Colby/Abby defense would hold the Blackhawks in the early going of the game, not surrendering a run over the first three innings. This allowed the co-op to balloon its lead to eight before Owen- Withee finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth.

The visitors responded with their most productive inning of the night: a five-run fifth, giving them a commanding 13-1 lead. While it wasn’t completely smooth sailing from there on out, the co-op had done enough that holding even with the Blackhawks for the rest of the game was more than enough to claim the victory.

Of the sixteen hits accumulated over the evening by the co-op, Graff’s solo-shot home run and sophomore Kylie Orth’s two triples were certainly highlights. Graff went three-for-three on the evening and Orth scored four times on two hits and two walks. Also recording two hits for the co-op were freshman Halie VanLuven and Harrison Schmitt.

Bargender went all six innings for the co-op, getting the win and striking out a season high 11 batters. She allowed four runs on seven hits, with only three of those runs being earned.

Having wrapped up the regular season, the Colby/ Abby softball team’s next game will be on Thursday, where they will play in the first round of the WIAA softball tournament. Seeded as the nine seed, they will have to travel to eight seed Rhinelander.