Pirates finally get on the field, learning process starts in 14-0 loss

GILMAN SOFTBALL

Gilman’s young softball team got a bit of a baptism by fire Monday, falling 14-0 to a senior-laden Thorp squad in a non-conference game that was moved on game day to Thorp’s field.

Having hardly been outside in this delayed spring, the Pirates, not surprisingly in their first game, struggled at times against a Cardinal team that Gilman head coach Brian Phelps believes will be a WIAA Division 5 sectional contender come tournament time.

That time will come fast once good spring weather finally arrives.

“They’re a senior-heavy team and we’re very, very young,” Phelps said. “We had eight errors, which was probably the story of the game. There were just too many plays that we should make that we didn’t. It was basically our first time on dirt. We have a young team that hasn’t had time playing together. We’re learning. We’re going to get better.”

The game was still relatively close through three innings. Thorp (1-1), coached by former Gilman assistant Kurt Rhyner, got three runs in the top of the first and two more in the second to go up 5-0. A seven-run rally, however, in the top of the fourth broke it open.

The Cardinals finished with 10 hits, including two doubles and a triple from Alexa Hanson. Trysta Leech struck out four in three innings to pick up the win.

The numbers for Gilman pitcher Tatum Weir may not look great, but Phelps said she did her job for the most part. In five innings, she struck out five, walked six and allowed 10 earned runs.

“I thought Tatum threw well,” Phelps said. “She faced too many batters because of the errors.”

Gilman had three hits, two of which came off the bat of freshman Abby Chaplinski. Senior Tychelle Duellman was one for two, reaching on an error, and she reached another time when hit by a pitch.

“We did all right putting the bat on the ball,” Phelps said. “We fouled off some good pitches. We put some solid shots out there, but they just made the plays.”

Two Eastern Cloverbelt Conference games in the past week were postponed due to the weather, including Tuesday’s game at Colby-Abbotsford, which was called as Gilman was on the bus on its way to Colby. That game is now being planned for Tuesday, replacing Gilman’s originally-scheduled game with Fall Creek. The game today, Thursday, against Owen-Withee also was unlikely to happen based on the nasty forecast.

Colby-Abbotsford is scheduled to play in Gilman on April 21.

“It was great to get on a field,” Phelps said of Monday’s loss. “We’re going to learn every time we practice, every time we play a game. That’s our goal to just keep improving and growing every day.”