Colby/Abby bows out of playoffs in New London

By Nathaniel Underwood

The Colby/Abbotsford softball team saw their season come to a close after they fell in the first round of the Division 2 WIAA playoffs last Thursday. The 10th-seeded co-op had to travel to New London to take on the seventh-seeded Bulldogs and could not muster much offense in their postseason contest, falling 11-0 in their final game of the year.

The team also had their final two games of the regular season last week, facing off against Spencer for a double-header. The visiting Rockets took both contests, pushing Colby/Abby’s final regular season record to 2-14. They went 2-10 in the Cloverbelt-East, finishing in sixth place.

New London, 11-0

The Colby/Abbotsford lineup had no response to an impressive pitching performance from the New London Bulldogs in their Division 2 playoff game last Thursday, collecting two hits and no runs in the five inning contest and falling 11-0. The hosting Bulldogs used a six-run third inning to pull away.

A pair of singles in the fourth and a defensive error by New London in the second gave Colby/Abby just three base runners across the entire game as Bulldogs’ pitchers Ellie Winkelman and Olivia Hamel silenced the co-op bats. The visitors struck out 10 times in 18 plate appearances.

New London jumped out to an early lead after taking advantage of an early defensive miscue for the co-op. Three consecutive twoout singles plated three runs for the Bulldogs, though none could be charged to Colby/ Abby starting pitcher Tatum Bargender, who would have set down the home team in order if not for the error.

The co-op got their own base runner in the top of the second when Lucia Perez was able to reach on an error, but back-to-back strikeouts left Perez stranded.

The Bulldogs notched another run in the bottom half of the frame and then put the game out of reach in the third. New London’s first six batters reached safely, collecting four singles and a double in the process, with one batter making it on base due to an error. The sequence led to five runs for the home team, and while the co-op was able to end the streak by catching New London’s Chesney Magolski trying to stretch her double into a triple, a triple and another error led to a sixth run scoring in the inning.

Back-to-back singles for Elizabeth Perez and Bargender gave the co-op their best chance at scoring in the fourth. The pair were able to advance to second and third, but the clutch hit with runners in scoring position eluded the visitors, leaving them scoreless.

Bargender pitched all four innings for the co-op, surrendering 11 runs on 13 hits. She struck out one batter and walked one. She also went 1-for-2 from the plate, as did Elizabeth Perez.

Spencer, 10-8

The co-op nearly rallied from a significant deficit in their first game of their doubleheader against the Spencer Rockets last Monday evening. While they were able to score four runs in the sixth inning, the Colby/ Abby squad’s comeback effort came up a little short in the end as they fell 10-8.

A tightly contested affair, the Rockets used a slightly more consistent offense to pull off the victory. Spencer was able to score in every inning but the seventh, keeping the pressure constantly on the co-op to keep up.

A 2-0 lead after the first two frames for the visitors doubled to a 4-0 advantage after a two-out, two RBI double for the Rockets in the third.

Colby/Abby was able to respond in the bottom half of the frame. A double from Audrey Fleischmann and a walk for Elizabeth Perez set the table for Lucia Perez, who delivered with a two RBI single with two outs to halve Spencer’s advantage. The Rockets drew their lead back out to four by scoring single runs in the top of the fourth and fifth, but the co-op once again pulled back within two runs in the fifth.

It was Lucia Perez who once again came in clutch for the co-op, driving in Tatum Bargender with an RBI single. The senior second baseman scored herself on a wild pitch

See SEASON FINALE/ Page 15

IN A CLOUD A DUST - Elizabeth Perez lays down the tag on her opponent trying to advance to third during the co-op’s first game against Spencer last Monday.

STAFF PHOTO/SAMANTHA YOCIUS Continued from page 13 by the Rockets later in the inning.

Starting pitcher Bargender and the Colby/ Abby defense had largely limited the damage for most of the contest, allowing two or fewer runs in each of the first five innings, but things would change in the sixth. The first four Spencer batters reached safely, using three singles and an error to quickly score two runs. A sacrifice bunt and another single kept the ball rolling for the Rockets, bringing home two more base runners and building out a 10-4 advantage.

Facing their largest deficit of the contest, the co-op lineup put together their best inning of the day. After a leadoff walk for Kyra Peterson, Fleischmann and Elizabeth Perez hit two consecutive singles to load the bases.

Bargender delivered with the biggest hit of the game for Colby/Abby, a bases-clearing triple that not only drove in three runs, but also put her in position to score on a wild pitch during the next at-bat, effectively countering the four-run inning from the Rockets.

After holding Spencer scoreless in the seventh, the co-op was in a solid spot to continue their rally. A leadoff double for Maria Saso set Colby/Abby up well for their potential comeback, but the Rockets were able to hold on, collecting three straight outs to end the threat.

Lucia Perez went 2-for-3 from the plate, knocking in three runs while scoring once herself and getting hit by a pitch. Bargender also had three RBIs, collecting two hits in three at-bats and scoring twice. Fleischmann and Elizabeth Perez were constantly on base for the co-op, the former reaching safely three times and scoring two runs while the latter went 2-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored.

Spencer, 16-2

The second game between the two Cloverbelt- East squads was not nearly as close as the first as Spencer was able to use an explosive opening frame to take control over the game and eventually defeat the co-op 16-2.

An 11-run effort for the Rockets in the first put them firmly in the driver’s seat in the rematch. Spencer had 13 base runners in the inning, collecting six walks and four hits en route to a monster inning. The first four batters of the inning reached via walk before a hit and an error drove in the first three runs of the game. While the co-op was able to record an out on a line drive, the Rockets kept things going with a pair of doubles, a single and a couple errors on the Colby/Abby defense.

The co-op was briefly able to cut into Spencer’s lead in the top of the second. A pair of walks for Lucia Perez and Elizabeth Schreiber turned into two runs for Colby/ Abby as Kierslyn Orth was able to deliver an RBI single and Schreiber was able to score on a wild pitch.

Those runs would be the only ones the coop would muster, however, and with a threerun bottom of the second and two more runs in the third, the Rockets were able to end the game in five innings.

LOCKED IN - Tatum Bargender peppers the strike zone during the opening game of a double-header against the Spencer Rockets last Monday.

STAFF PHOTO/SAMANTHA YOCIUS