WOODWARD — Grandview Christian and Saydel visited Woodward-Granger Saturday for the three-game Phil Creese Classic, named in memory of the longtime Hawk coach and softball advocate.[wpedon id=”82220″ align=”center”]
Saydel (9-11) topped W-G (1-19) by a 6-1 final in the first game, then blanked Grandview Christian (11-6), 5-0, in game two of the event. W-G held a 7-5 lead with two outs in the bottom of the seventh against Grandview Christian, only to see the Thunder rumble to an improbable 8-7 win.
The Eagles controlled the opener from the start, jumping to a 4-0 lead after three frames.
Emma Anderson reached on an error for W-G in the bottom of the fifth, with Natalie Weaver moving her up a base with a single. Kaycee Major’s single plated the run as the scored changed to 4-1.
Saydel tallies in the sixth and seventh accounted for the final score.
Elly Polich threw two innings for W-G, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits. Ava Petersen tossed five frames in long relief, yielding two runs (one earned) on a walk and six hits. She recorded two strikeouts.
Maddi Danti had a double, with Anderson and Rian Jamison joining Major and Weaver in collecting base hits for the Hawks. Major and Danti both also drew walks.
Jade Olsen pitched three innings, surrendering three hits and two walks with one strikeout. Allie Herron worked four stanzas and was touched for an unearned run on two hits while striking out two for the Eagles.
Alexis Carney had two singles, a double and a home run. She scored twice and drove in two runs, with Destiny Butters hitting a double and a triple.
W-G was the visitor against Grandview Christian and countered three Thunder runs in the first innings with three of their own in the second before adding two more in the third and another in the fourth for a 6-3 edge.
A Hawk run in the firth and two Thunder tallies in the bottom of the frame moved the score to 7-5, where it remained until the seventh.
Hawk starter Jamison quickly retired the first two batters she faced, but was then touched for consecutive singles to bring the winning run to the plate. Disaster struck W-G in the form of misplayed would-be game-enders, with three consecutive infield errors sending runs six, seven and eight across the dish, denying the Hawks their second win of the season.
Jamison deserved a better fate, as six of the eight Thunder runs were unearned. She allowed 10 hits and a walk while striking out two.
Major smacked a home run and a single, driving in two runs and scoring twice, with Alissa Smeltzer hitting two doubles, scoring twice and plating one run.
Weaver had a double and scored two times, with Danti adding two hits, a run and a RBI and Jamison a two-run double. Katelyn Bandstra had two singles, with Elly Polich recording a RBI while Anderson, Chloe Houge, and Bella Milosevich provided one hit apiece.
MaKaylla Patterson pitched three innings for the Thunder, surrendering five runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out one. Emma Heffron tossed four frames of four-hit ball, allowing two runs and walking one while fanning three.
W-G hosts Ogden today, visits Des Moines Christian Tuesday and will then play a varsity twin bill at West Central Valley Thursday.
