Colby/Abby softball bounced in season opener in Regis
By Nathaniel Underwood
The Colby/Abbotsford softball team made a strong push late against the Regis Ramblers during their season opener on Monday afternoon but could not folly rally from an early deficit, falling 14-11 on the road.
A six-run fourth brought the visiting coop squad back into the contest and while they were able to score five runs across the final two frames, it was not quite enough to complete a full comeback. The Ramblers managed to score at least one run in every inning, making the most of their 12 hits and eight errors by the Colby/Abby defense.
The co-op was held scoreless for the first three innings, allowing the Ramblers to jump out to an 8-0 lead. The complexion of the game shifted in the fourth, however, as Colby/Abby’s offense responded in a big way. Demonstrating a solid eye at the plate and taking advantage of the defensive miscues by Regis was key for the visitors.
The first four at-bats for Colby/Abby in the inning were an epitome of the old adage “good things happen when you put the ball in play.” After Lucia Perez was able to reach via a walk, Tatum Bargender, Elizabeth Perez and Audrey Fleischmann were all able to reach via errors on the Ramblers, the last two pushing across the first two runs of the game for the co-op. Two more walks were drawn by Kierslyn Orth and Ella Schreiber, allowing the first Colby/Abby six batters of the inning to reach safely.
Another walk by Jennifer Monroy and an RBI fielder's choice from Nevaeh Treankler pushed across more runs for the coop, who totalled six in an inning where they did not record a single hit.
Regis was able to rebuild their advantage slightly by adding three more runs over the next two innings, but Bargender was able to get the co-op back within three after hitting an RBI triple and scoring on a wild pitch in the top of the sixth.
A three-run effort for the Ramblers in the bottom of the frame put Colby/Abby in a difficult position. Back-to-back-to-back RBI singles for Bargender, Elizabeth Perez and Fleischmann, all coming with two outs in the seventh, undid the damage from Regis in the earlier inning, but that was all the closer the co-op would manage to get.
Bargender pitched the first three innings for Colby/Abby while Treankler came on in relief for the final three innings. Both managed to keep the walks to a minimum, only issuing five between the two pitchers, but Regis’ ability to put the ball in play ultimately came back to bite the co-op. While Bargender ended up giving up eight runs on eight hits, only one of those runs was earned. Meanwhile, only three of Treankler’s six surrendered runs were earned. Both pitchers struck out one batter each.
Bargender’s triple in the sixth was the only extra base hit for the co-op and the senior finished the day going 2-for-5 from the plate with two RBIs and three runs scored. Elizabeth Perez collected two walks, one hit, two runs scored and one RBI and Fleischmann went l-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Orth racked up four walks while Treankler had one hit, one RBI and one run scored.
The co-op will be back in action next Monday, April 21 for their home opener against Athens. The Bluejays are currently 1-1 this season, having defeated Newman Catholic in their opening game before falling 11-0 to Nekoosa. Last year, Athens came out on top, defeating Colby/Abby 15-5. First pitch for the non-conference game is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Colby.
