Colby/Abby’s bats go cold in playoff loss to Waupaca

By Nathaniel Underwood

The Colby/Abby softball team saw their season come to a close last Thursday evening, as they fell on the road 15-0 to the Waupaca Comets in the first round of the Division 2 WIAA playoffs.

After a tough start to the season where the co-op had started off the year with 10 straight losses, they had begun to turn things around during the back half of their schedule. While they still were under .500 in their final seven games, going 3-4 in those contests, there were notable improvements being made. The offense in particular looked to be on the upswing. After being held to four or fewer runs in eight of their first 10 games, Colby/Abby scored nine or more runs in five of their final seven games.

“There are three things that come to mind,” head coach Al Kneifl said of the turnaround. “One, breaking down our batting mechanics using tees. Two, more live pitching from coaches. And three, using the pitching machine more versus doing soft toss.”

However, Waupaca entered the game on a hot streak of their own. The Comets had finished the regular season winning four of their last five games and had been playing good defense in those wins, holding their opponents to under three runs in all but one of those games, a 5-0 loss to Marathon.

In a clash between a resurgent offense See FIRST ROUND EXIT/ Page 16

PATROLLING THE MOUND - Neveah Treankler winds up a pitch against Waupaca.

against a defense on the rise, the hosting Waupaca squad came out on the other side victorious. Comets’ starting pitcher Josie

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD First round exit

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Peterson stifled Colby/Abby’s bats, allowing just two hits over the four inning game. While Waupaca’s ace only had one strikeout, her defense had her back, making a number of impressive plays to keep the co-op’s lineup from building any sort of momentum at the plate.

Perhaps even more importantly, they also did not allow any free passes, with Peterson not walking a single batter.

Throughout the season, walks have hurt the co-op and they once again plagued Colby/ Abby in Thursday’s game. The Comets only had three hits in their 15-0 victory as the co-op surrendered 17 bases on balls over the course of the game.

A nine-run first inning for Waupaca against starting pitcher Tatum Bargender set the tone early and while relief pitcher Neveah Treankler was able to settle things down in the second and third innings, only allowing two runs in the second and none in the third, a four-run bottom of the fourth sealed the victory for the Comets. Lucia and Elizabeth Perez had a pair of singles for the co-op.

After a first round exit, Colby/Abby will finish the season with a 3-15 overall record. They went 3-8 in the Cloverbelt-East, finishing in sixth. Looking ahead to next season, while they will return a little over half of their starting lineup from the end of the season, the co-op will have to try and find ways to replace two-thirds of their outfield, with seniors Torrance Bloome and Kylie Orth having graduated, and try to the fill the holes at first base and catcher, positions that fellow seniors Josie Higley and McKinley Klabon occupied.

ACROSS THE DIAMOND - Elizabeth Perez fires the ball to first in Waupaca.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD