WOODWARD — Miranda Aunspach was 4-for-5 with six RBIs and Riley Jamison was 3-for-4 with a double and a triple to help lead Woodward-Granger to a 14-2 five-inning win over West Central Valley in their Class 2A Region 7 First Round game Monday.
The win sends W-G to Madrid Wednesday, with that winner to face either Ogden or Panorama, in Ogden, Friday. The Regional Final will be played July 13 in Urbandale.
Each team scored once in the first inning, with the Hawks — who were the visitors in the contest — breaking loose with five runs in the top of the second to open a 6-1 bulge.
Jamison doubled to open the frame, with a Kaycee Major single and a walk to Josie Baumgartner loading the bases. Courtesy runner Alyssa Bice was picked off third base by catcher Bailee Arnburg, but a walk to Alison Soelberg re-loaded the bags.
The first of three two-run singles from Aunspach plated two Hawks, with a two-run base hit from Kendra Husmann and a RBI-single from Annie Webb completing the rally.
Aunspach drove in two runs with a hit in the third and two more on another hit in the fourth, with a Josie Baumgartner single and a sacrifice fly from Bree Lesch adding to the four-run frame.
Arnburg had tripled home a run in the bottom of the third for WCV, but the Wildcats stranded two runners in the fourth and fifth as the game ended early.
W-G had helped ensure the game would end early with a two-spot at-bat in the fifth.
Meagan Bandstra doubled to open the frame, with Jamison tripling her home while courtesy runner Alissa Smeltzer trotted home for the final Hawk run on Alyssa Bice’s pinch-hit single.
Jamison allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks while striking out one in picking up the win.
The victory sets up Wednesday’s showdown with rival Madrid. W-G rallied with two runs in the bottom of the seventh to top Madrid, 7-6, in their first meeting, then used a two-run Webb double in the top of the ninth to claim a 5-3 victory in their second tussle.
“The way were are hitting the ball makes us believe we are going to be in every game we play,” W-G head coach Noah Bean said. “We will need to keep the hot bats going against Madrid, because it seems each time we play them it comes down to one play here or there that has made the difference. Who knows? It may even come down to who wins the coin toss and gets to be the home team.”
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Class 2A Region 7 First Round
WOODWARD-GRANGER 14, WEST CENTRAL VALLEY 2 (5)
at Woodward, July 6
Team R H E
W-G 152 42 — 14 18 1
WCV 101 00 — 2 4 2
W-G: Jamison and Bandstra. WCV: Em. Franklin and Arnburg. WP: Jamison. LP: Franklin. 2B — W-G: Jamison, Baumgartner, Bandstra. 3B — W-G: Jamison; WCV: Arnburg. LOB — W-G: 8, WCV: 4.
