By Coach Heather Struve
On May 20th the South O’Brien Softball team traveled to Harris-Lake Park for their season opener and came away with a 16-5 win. The first inning was very indicative of first game jitters for both teams, as the score remained 0-0. In the top of the second with two outs the Wolverines came alive and put six runs on the board, courtesy of base hits from Lindsey Einck, Jinger Nieuwenhuis and Marissa Ebel. HLP came back with three runs of their own though in the bottom half of the inning to close the gap to 6-3.
South O’Brien tacked on two more runs in the third with back-to-back doubles by Abby Woodall and Brooklyn Edwards. The Wolves picked up a run in the fourth to make the score 8-4, with the Wolverines still leading.
South O’Brien broke the game open in the fifth with four runs on hits from Abby Nelson and Ebel and three walks. The Wolverines tacked on a run in the sixth and three more in the seventh. HLP could only muster a single run in the seventh to make the final score 16-5 South O’Brien.
Edwards was awarded the win on the mound as she struck out nine, walked four, and gave up five runs with three of them earned. She had a great first night out! Nine strike outs is big. It meant we only had to make 12 plays in the field. The defense had a fairly good night as well. We did have two errors, but both of them were more mental than physical and should be easily fixed.
As far as first games go, the bats were really hot! We had 10 hits as a team. Ebel lead the way with three singles, four RBI’s, and a run scored. Woodall hit a pair of doubles, scored three times and hit two girls in. Nieuwenhuis hit a double and a single, had three RBI’s, and her courtesy runner Kelsee Warnke scored three times and had four stolen bases. Edwards had a double and her courtesy Avery Halverson scored once. Einck and Nelson each had a base hit.
S. O’Brien
0 6 2 0 4 1 3 – 16
HLP
0 3 0 1 0 0 1 – 5