The South O’Brien softball team pounded out 18 team hits in an 11-8 win over Sheldon in Sheldon on Thursday, June 1. Karlee Warnke, Jinger Nieuwenhuis, Maddie Johnson and Marissa Ebel all had base hits in the first inning to go up 2-0. Sheldon had four hits of their own in the bottom half of the inning and the Wolverines committed three errors to allow Sheldon to go up 4-2. In the second inning both teams scored a run to make it 5-3.
The Wolverines had a big third inning, scoring five runs. The big hits of the inning were a double by Johnson and a three-run home run by Alyssa Van Beek. South O’Brien was now leading 8-5. Sheldon did not score in the third, but tacked on a run in the fourth to make the score 8-6 in favor of South O’Brien. Neither team scored in the fifth. In the sixth Johnson drove in two runs with a double to the fence. Sheldon scored two runs of their own to stay within two at 10-8. The Wolverines tacked on an insurance run in the seventh, but would not need it as Shay Hatting got the first three Sheldon batters to ground out to her at pitcher.
Hatting threw a wonderful game on the mound. She allowed six hits, walked five and struck out eight. She gave up eight runs, but only three of them were earned. We need to clean up the defense behind her and make the routine plays we are capable of making. The Wolverines committed eight errors in the contest.
Van Beek was the leading hitter plating a single, a triple and a home run. She scored three runs and drove in three runs. Johnson ripped two doubles to the fence and also had a single, a run and three RBI’s. Warnke hit a triple and a pair of singles, had one RBI and scored one run. Nieuwenhuis hit three singles and had an RBI. Her courtesy runner Avery Halverson scored three times. Payton Farquhar, Marissa Ebel and Reese Farquhar each hit two singles and scored a run. Marissa had two RBI’s and Reese had one. This was a great team win for us and a huge confidence builder for our hitting!
S. O’Brien
2 1 5 0 0 2 1 – 11
Sheldon
4 1 0 1 0 2 0 – 8