STUART — The Woodward-Granger and West Central Valley defenses combined to commit 18 errors in the first game of a WCAC softball doubleheader Monday, with the result a a total of only five earned runs in an 11-10 WCV victory.
The teams were guilty of 12 total errors in the nightcap, but this time the W-G offense was at full power, blasting WCV for an 18-3 win in six innings.
The split moves W-G to 5-21 overall and 2-11 in WCAC play while WCV stands at 2-16, 2-11. The game two win gives W-G one more victory than their 2018 total. The Hawks are 5-11 after starting the season 0-10 and have scored 82 runs in those 16 games after plating only 16 runs in their first 10 contests.
Monday’s split results come after the Hawks dropped both of their games Saturday at the Phil Creese Classic, with Saydel topping W-G, 6-2, while Grand View Christian claimed a 14-3 victory.
The first game with the Wildcats Monday saw runs scoring in most innings. WCV held a 6-1 lead at one point, only to see W-G close to within 7-6. WCV led, 10-7, with two W-G runs in the bottom of the sixth bringing the score to 10-9.
The Wildcats plated a run in the top of the seventh and W-G countered to put the score at 11-10, but the game ended with a strikeout and pop out with the tying run on third base.
Ava Petersen went seven innings for W-G, allowing 11 runs (three earned) on 10 hits and two walks while striking out two.
She had a single, a double and a RBI at the plate, with Natalie Weaver swatting two doubles, driving in three runs and scoring three times while Emma Anderson added a double.
Marissa Hagen pitched six innings for WCV, allowing nine runs (two earned) on seven hits and three walks while fanning two. Abbi Beane won in relief with one inning in the ring. She was touched for an unearned run on one hit while striking out one.
Kamryn Nourse had three hits for WCV, with Emma R. Johnson providing a triple.
Rian Jamison struck out two and walked three in picking up the win in the second game.
W-G led, 4-2, after one inning, then had leads of 7-2 and, eventually, 11-3, before seven runs in the top of the sixth set the mercy rule in place.
Allie Moore, Brylee Bice and Weaver had three RBIs apiece, with Moore hitting two singles and a double, Weaver a double and Bice a single. Anderson added a triple and a RBI.
W-G hosts Gilbert tonight and is then off until playing Friday and Saturday at the Clear Creek-Amana tourney in Iowa City.
