WOODWARD — A battle of intra-county rivals capped the two-day W-G Softball Classic as the hosts entertained Perry Saturday.
The two teams played error-free ball and combined for 12 runs on 19 hits, but it was the Hawks who put together the biggest inning and who eventually prevailed, 8-4.
W-G had played with a largely junior varsity pitching corps in suffering a 16-2 loss to Ogden in three innings in their first game Saturday. Meanwhile, Perry had used ace Emma Olejniczak in their first game of the day. The sophomore held Council Bluffs Lewis Central to one hit to help the Jayettes prevail, 2-0.
When the two squads met in the final game of the classic, the Hawks turned to main starter Riley Jamison, while Sidney Vancil stepped into the ring for the Jayettes.
Kendra Husmann singled, stole second and scored on Annie Webb’s base hit to give W-G a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, but Perry tied the game in the bottom of the frame when Victoria Hegstrom crushed a solo home run to left field.
Alison Soelberg walked to open the Hawk third, moving up two bases on a Miranda Aunspach double. A Jamison ground out scored Soelberg, who just beat the throw home after Jamison had been retired at first base.
Perry tied the game for a second time with another solo home run in their following at-bat, this time a shot just inside the left field foul pole off the bat of Johanna Diw.
The top of the fourth proved to be the decisive half inning, as W-G scored four times on five hits.
Meagan Bandstra singled to start the frame, with Webb hitting a double. Alyssa Bice put down a safety-squeeze bunt, as Bandstra broke for home as soon as the throw to retire Bice at first was made, with Bandstra safe on the play for a 3-2 W-G lead. Carli Major bunted back to the ring, with Vancil holding Webb as Major reached safely.
A Soleberg single plated Webb, an Aunspach base hit scored Major, and a ground out from Bree Lesch sent a run home as the margin swelled to 6-2.
Hegstrom nearly homered in the fourth and was robbed of extra bases by a running catch from Lesch in left-center. Olejniczak walked to start the Perry sixth, with Rachel Kinney hitting a single one pitch after pulling a 220-foot blast just foul down the left field line.
However, Jamison induced two pop-outs and ground out to keep Perry from cutting into their deficit.
Vancil was lifted for Alyssa Kruger after the fourth, with the later forcing four ground outs and a pop-out to Maddy Jans at third base while tallying one strikeout to retire the first six Hawks she faced.
Aunspach and Lesch singled to begin the W-G seventh, with a one-out Kendra Husmann ground out plating one run and a Bandstra base hit another as the margin grew to 8-2.
Perry mounted a rally in their final at-bat, with Brooke Huntington and Maddie West reaching with singles to begin the spurt. Diw forced Huntington at third with one down, but Olejniczak singled to re-load the bases. Kinney’s two-run hit drew the Jayettes to within 8-4, but Perry could come no closer.
Vancil received the loss. She allowed six runs on eight hits and a walk in four innings on the rubber, with Kruger yielding two runs on three hits. The pair had one strikeout apiece.
Jamison went the distance for the win, surrendering four runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out two.
In other games Saturday, Winterset topped Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln, 4-3, and Pleasantville, 11-0, in five innings, with Pleasantivlle blasting Madrid, 12-0, in three frames. Also Saturday, Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln was a 10-2 victor over Madrid and Council Bluffs Lewis Central scored four runs with two outs in the top of the seventh to stun Ogden, 7-5.
W-G (6-11) visits Guthrie Center Monday before hosting WCV Tuesday while Perry (3-11) travels to Gilbert Tuesday and ADM Wednesday.
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W-G CLASSIC
at Woodward, June 13
Team R H E
W-G 011 400 2 — 8 11 0
PRY 011 000 2 — 4 8 0
W-G: Jamison and Bandstra. PRY: Vancil (4), Kruger (3) and Huntington. WP: Jamison. LP: Vancil. 2B — W-G: Aunspach, Webb. HR — PRY: Hegstrom, Diw. LOB — W-G: 4; PRY: 6.
