Colby/Abby softball blanks Pirates, falls to Neillsville

The Colby-Abby softball team collected one win in its first full week of the season. After splitting two games with Gilman and falling in a tight game to Loyal/Greenwood, the co-op finished the week off by dropping a tough double- header against Neillsville, giving them a 1-4 record for the week and a 2-4 record overall.

6-0

The week began on April 19 with a 6-0 shutout of the Gilman Pirates. The coop used a stellar pitching performance from freshman Tatum Bargender and solid defense to blank the Pirates. Bargender went all seven innings, recording six strikeouts while giving up seven hits and three walks.

Bargender also gave the team a boost from the dish as well. The freshman recorded three hits including a double while driving home two of the co-op’s six runs and scoring three times herself.

Colby senior Kya Viegut also provided the team with some offense, going 2-2 with a walk, a run batted in, a stolen base and scored a run as well. Senior Alea Graff, sophomores Kylie Orth and Josie Higley, as well as freshman Neveah Treankler, all contributed hits for the co-op.

3-2

The Colby/Abby softball club faced off against the Pirates just days after their victory on Tuesday, this time heading up to Gilman on Thursday in an attempt to sweep their conference foes. This time the co-op faced more resistance from their opponents and fell 3-2 in a tight matchup.

Thursday’s game once again saw Tatum Bargender on the mound for the co-op. For the second time in less than a week, she proved to be efficient against the Pirates as she pitched all six innings. Tatum Weir started for Gilman, who also pitched a complete game for the Pirates.

Both pitchers kept the opposing offense at bay for two innings, but it was the Pirates who struck first in the bottom of the third, tagging Bargender for two runs. The co-op struck back in the top of the next frame, bringing home one run to cut the lead in half. However, they were never able to close that gap, with Gilman adding an insurance run in the fifth and the co-op only managing one more run through the rest of the game. Both defenses were extremely effi cient, with only one error committed the entire game.

Bargender ended the evening with six strikeouts, two walks and three runs surrendered, only two of which were earned.

Bargender also went 1-1 at the plate with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored. Graff had two hits in three at bats, stole a base, and also scored a run for the co-op. Freshman Harrison Schmitt and Orth were credited with RBIs.

9-7

Looking to bounce back from their loss to Gilman, the Colby/Abby girls took on the Loyal/Greenwood softball team on a cool Monday evening at home, hoping to hand their opponent’s their first loss of the season. The Loyal/ Greenwood combination had other ideas, however, and the home team fell 9-7.

Unlike the previous game, which saw dominant pitching and effective defenses, the bats took over in an offensive duel that saw twenty hits between the two teams. The lady Hornets started strong, jumping out to a two run lead in the bottom of the first. Tatum Bargender, once again on the mound for Colby/ Abby, held their opponents scoreless through the first two innings.

The two teams traded runs in the third, but Loyal/Greenwood broke out in the fourth, scoring three runs and capturing the lead, 4-3. It was a lead they would not relinquish, as an explosive five-run sixth inning for Loyal/Greenwood proved to be too difficult for the Hornets to overcome. The home team was not quite finished, as a valiant effort in the bottom halves of the sixth and seventh innings brought around four more runs, but left them just short, with a final score of 9-7.

Bargender once again pitched the entire game for the co-op, going all seven innings and taking the loss. While she did give up nine runs, only three were earned. Bargender’s command was on display, as 73 of her 98 pitches were strikes, leading to five strikeouts and one walk.

Despite the loss, the co-op’s lineup recorded an impressive thirteen hits, with each member recording at least one. Bargender, Viegut, Graff and freshman Halie VanLuven each had two hits, with Viegut blasting two doubles and Graff posting a triple. Graff, VanLuven, and Treankler all had two RBIs each.

19-3

The Colby/Abby softball club welcomed the Neillsville Warriors into town on Tuesday for a double-header. The first game was taken by the Warriors in dominating fashion, bouncing the co-op 19-3 in five innings.

The scoring started early for an explosive Warriors offense, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Colby/ Abby could not respond and Neillsville extended their lead by bringing across another run in the second and five in the fourth. Down 10-0 in the bottom of the fourth, the co-op bats finally broke through, scoring three runs to tighten the gap. Neillsville quickly solidified their lead, crushing any hopes of a comeback, by scoring nine runs in the top of the fifth, giving them a 19-3 lead which they took to the end. Neillsville ended the game with 24 hits.

Bargender was once again on the mound for the co-op, pitching the entire game. She walked one and struck out three. Kylie Orth had two RBIs for the home team, both of which came in her fourth inning at-bat

13-3

The second game of the double header looked similar to the first, with the Warriors completing the sweep 13-3.

Now the away team, the Colby/Abby co-op was able to go on the offensive, jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The lead was short lived, as the Neillsville bats were once again hot early on in the game, scoring five runs in the bottom half of the frame to take the lead. While the co-op managed two more runs over the next four innings, they were never ever able to figure out the Neillsville pitching, mustering only two hits over five innings. Colby/Abby pitcher Halie VanLuven kept the game within grasp for three innings, but Neillsville was able to break through in the fourth, adding three insurance runs before ending the game in the bottom of the fifth by bringing in five more. The game ended with a final score of 13-3.

VanLuven pitched the entire game for the co-op, taking the loss while walking nine and striking out one. Viegut and Graff picked up a pair of singles in the game and Graff, Treankler and Sierra Strassburger each scored one run.

The team will host the Owen-Withee Blackhawks on Thursday in Colby before heading to Spencer to take on the Rockets on Friday, April 29.