Softball collects three victories

The Colby-Abby softball team seemed to find its footing during this past week of action. After opening the season with a trio of tough losses to Gilman and Neillsville, the co-op squad bounced back by rattling off three straight wins against Cloverbelt-East opponents. While that streak was cut short in Rib Lake on Tuesday evening, the team appears to be settling into the season after some growing pains early.

The righting of the ship started last Thursday with a trip to Owen-Withee. After scoring four runs in their first three games, the co-op’s offense came to life in a big way in their fourth contest.

The Colby-Abby club collected a season- high 12 hits and brought home 15 runs while they made short work of the Blackhawks. Meanwhile, they saw some much improved defense, only surrendering two runs on four hits.

The offense would continue to build upon their performance in Owen-Withee by putting up double digits in both games of their double-header against the Spencer Rockets the following evening. The hosting Colby-Abby squad won both games, taking the first 11-6 and the second 13-9.

Harrison Schmitt opened the first matchup with a bang. After Neveah Treankler drew a walk in the team’s opening plate appearance, Schmitt launched the second pitch of her at bat over the fence for a two-run home run that put the co-op up early. Singles from Tatum Bargender and Kylie Orth would lead to the pair eventually coming around to score for Colby-Abby, giving them four runs by the end of the first.

Patience at the plate paid dividends for the co-op, as a multitude of drawn walks allowed them to score three more runs in the second.

The Rockets managed to shut down Colby-Abby in the third and fourth and cut the lead down to 7-5 after scoring three runs in the top of the fifth. But that would be all the closer Spencer could get, as the co-op immediately answered with a four-run performance in the bottom half of the frame.

Bargender, who was patrolling the mound for the home team, would hold the Rockets to just one run over the final two innings and earned herself the win.

The second affair started off similarly to the first, with Colby-Abby’s offense putting on the pressure early. Schmitt knocked in a run with an RBI double and errors by Spencer’s defense would allow further runs to score. The first seven batters for the co-op reached safely and a walk from Treankler in her second plate appearance of the inning drove in the sixth and final run for Colby-Abby.

While the Rockets answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, a two RBI single from Taylor Hammel in the top of the second kept Spencer at bay.

It was a process that repeated itself as the second game of the double-header progressed; for each step that Spencer took towards getting itself back into the game, the co-op seemed to have a response, a five-run fifth for Colby-Abby closing the door on the Rockets’ comeback attempt. Night eventually closed in and the game was called early due to a lack of visibility, leaving the Colby-Abby club the 13-9 victors.

A non-conference matchup with Rib Lake stopped the co-op’s win streak at three. While they were able to put up six runs in Tuesday afternoon’s game, they could not hold back their opponent’s offense. Rib Lake out hit the Colby-Abby club 13 to six in the blustery weather and cruised to a 16-6 victory.

The co-op’s record now stands at 3-4 overall. Their next game is scheduled for Thursday, May 4, where they will take on the Columbus Catholic Dons at home. The game will start at 4:00 p.m. as part of a double-header against their Cloverbelt-East opponents.