June 27, 2018 at 12:42 p.m.
Northwoods softball teams fall in quarterfinals of Pines tourney
Northwoods softball teams fall in quarterfinals of Pines tourney
Northwoods Fastpitch, a co-op of players from the Rhinelander, Eagle River and Lakeland areas, entered teams in both divisions, eyeing a tournament championship.
Extra innings marathon strikes out 12U
The younger Northwoods team began the tournament with a game against Tomahawk and it took five innings for either team to score a run.
After Aubrey Beyer led off the fifth and final inning with a single, she reached third base on a pair of passed balls. On the next at-bat, Haley Ives drove in Beyer on a sacrifice for the first and only run of the game in a 1-0 win.
A few hours later, Northwoods faced off against Ironwood in the second pool play game of the day. Once again Northwoods scored only one run, but this time it came in a 10-1 loss.
In the first inning, Northwoods recorded three hits and the first four batters reached base safely, but only managed to scratch one run across the plate.
Abigail Bixby and Beyer singled to start, but both were eventually picked off. Tommie Springer walked in the next at-bat and Ives singled her home for the team's only run of the game.
Ironwood would go on to score four runs in the first, two in the second, three in the third and one in the fourth to secure the win.
The loss gave Northwoods the fourth seed and a date with fifth-seed Auburndale on Saturday needing a win to advance in the tournament.
Northwoods fell behind 6-1 in the game with the game's time limit nearing, but Auburndale's pitching began to get shaky in the bottom of the third inning.
Leah Jamison, Beyer, Springer and Carlee Huelskamp all scored runs before Laney Haenel drove in Ives to tie the game. Neither team was able to score in the fourth and time ran out, forcing extra innings.
Per the rules of the tournament, each team started the inning with a runner on second base. In the fifth, neither team was able to capitalize, but Auburndale struck in the sixth on an error.
Pitcher Saylor Timmerman was able to buckle down, striking out the final two batters of the inning to prevent any further damage. Northwoods wasn't able to get a hit in the bottom half of the inning, but extended the game when Huelskamp narrowly beat a tag at home plate on a passed ball.
The game got away from Northwoods in the seventh inning, however, as Auburndale scored nine runs to blow the game open.
Northwoods moved up its infield and outfield to prevent any more runs with two outs and the bases loaded, but Auburndale cleared the bases with a triple. Northwoods went down in order in the bottom of the inning, ending the game with a 16-7 loss.
Timmerman went the distance in the circle, giving up six hits and striking out 13 batters.
14U can't escape its 'Demons'
The Northwoods 14U squad started the tournament inauspiciously against Hayward, falling 10-6 in a high-scoring affair.
Naomi Hamerla drove in the first run of the tournament on an RBI triple as Northwoods took a 2-0 lead in the first. It wouldn't last long, though, with Hayward cutting the lead in half in the bottom of the inning before scoring four runs in the second to take a lead it would never relinquish.
Grace Wittkopf and Kylee White both scored runs in the fourth inning to trim the lead to 5-4, but Hayward responded with five runs on four hits in the bottom half of the frame.
Maddi Roeser and Halle Kerner scored in a last-ditch comeback attempt in the top of the fifth, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit.
In the final game on Friday, Northwoods faced the Northern Michigan Sting with a chance to rebound from the loss earlier in the day.
Northwoods was able to get its offense in gear, registering seven hits in a 11-3 win to end pool play with a 1-1 record.
In the bottom of the third, leading 5-2, Northwoods was finally able to build an insurmountable cushion.
Kerner, Hamerla and Wittkopf each reached base safely to start the inning and all eventually scored. Haylie Stefonek and Paige Richie also scored before Roeser scored after doubling in the fourth as the time limit ran out.
Meanwhile, pitcher Addie DeMeyer tossed a no-hitter, allowing eight walks and striking out six in the win.
The performance gave Northwoods the fifth seed on Saturday afternoon, facing fourth-seeded Dane County Demons in bracket play.
Northwoods started the game strong, scoring three runs in the top of the first as Madison Stebbeds led off the game with a single and eventually scored. Kerner and Wittkopf also crossed the plate, but the success would be short-lived.
The Demons scored nine runs on two hits and three hit batters en route to a 14-4 win, ending the tournament for Northwoods. Stebbeds also singled and scored in the third inning in the mercy rule loss.
The Northwoods softball teams are back in action with a tournament at Calumet, Mich., beginning on Friday.
Nick Sabato may be reached at [email protected] or via Twitter @NickSabatoLT.
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