Things got interesting in the final inning but South O’Brien was finally able to secure an 8-6 win over Cherokee July 3 at Paullina. The victory allowed the Wolverines to enter postseason play with a record of 11-14.
South O’Brien broke from the gate with a four-run first inning. Cherokee made it 4-1 in the second inning and drew within a run after scoring twice in the fourth. The Wolverines answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to push their lead back to three at 6-3. In the fifth inning the Braves put a run on the board but South O’Brien responded with two. Cherokee then made it close with three runs in the seventh.
“We played a super six innings on the field,” noted Wolverine head coach Heather Struve. “They scored those three runs in the seventh only because of our three consecutive errors in the infield. We started out with a big first inning, scoring four runs off of three hits, a sacrifice bunt, a walk, and a Cherokee error. We were swinging at good pitches tonight and making hard solid contact. Abby Nelson, Alli Griebel and Avery Halverson all had multiple hits. Griebel went the distance for the win. She really kept her composure when the game got a little hairy there in the seventh. It was good to come away with a win going into district play on Monday.”
At the dish, Nelson was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Halverson singled, doubled and scored a run. Grebel went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Reese Farquhar recorded a double and a sacrifice fly. Tawni Wulf scored two runs.
Griebel allowed nine hits over her seven innings of work. She struck out five batters, walked three and hit one. Only three of the seven Cherokee runs were earned. Each team put pressure on their pitcher by committing five errors.
Cherokee
0 1 0 2 1 0 3 – 7
S. O’Brien
4 0 0 2 2 0 x – 8