On Friday, Manual’s girls’ varsity softball team beat the Denmark Vikings of Wisconsin 10-6, with a combination of big hitting and stellar defense.
First:
The top of the first inning marked a quick three-and-out for Denmark, including two short hits up to Bella Newell (#44, 10) and Payton Russell (#4, 10).
The bottom of the first inning also marked a relatively short inning for the Lady Crimsons. Savanah Renn (#23, 10) struck out. Newell then followed with a single, but Fetcher and Hailey Kincaid (#14, 12) were unsuccessful to bring Newell to home. The score remained tied 0-0.
Second:
The top of the second inning marked the first runs of the game. After a quick out, a Denmark player then hit a single. This was followed by a Denmark batter bunting the ball, and while the Lady Crimsons’ defense was quick to get the ball, the runner was ruled safe at first base. A big hit by Denmark allowed the two base runners to make it home. Under pressure, Kincaid delivered a strikeout for the second out followed by a walk, but finished the inning off with another strikeout for the third out.
Russell hit a fly out to mark the first out of the bottom of the second inning. However, Sophia Bynum (#25, 10) later drilled the ball out center for a double of her own, allowing pinch runner Takenzie Young (#2, 9) to score. Lily Kilgore (#30, 12) then stepped up to bat, where she hit the ball, but was out at first base. However, Bynum advanced to third base. Liv Kunkle (#24, 12) was then walked by Denmark’s pitcher. Despite good contact, Renn hit the ball up to the third baseman for the third and final out.
The score was now 2-1, with Denmark in the lead.
Third:
The top of the third inning marked another quick three-and-out for the Lady Crimson defense. A hit up to Newell marked the first out, followed by two fly outs caught by Kilgore for the second and third outs.
Newell started the bottom of the third with a pop up, but fortunately, an infielder error allowed her to be safe at second base. Fetcher then hit a line drive up the third base line, Newell scored and Fetcher advanced to second base for a double. Kincaid then hit the ball up towards center field, marking a single, bringing in Fletcher. Russell was up next to bat, where she safely advanced to first base after another error by Denmark. Brookly Bing (#21, 10) then hit a short ball, but Denmark dropped the ball.
At this point, the bases were now loaded for the Lady Crimsons. Pinch runner Allison Multerer (#8, 9) was ruled out as she ran home after a hit, marking the first out. Despite this, Russell stole home after a wild pitch. Kilgore then hit the ball for a single, allowing another runner to come home. Kunkle then executed a successful bunt, loading the bases once more. Renn then managed to hit the ball, but it was an easy pick up by Denmark’s infield player resulting in a runner out at home. Another wild pitch allows Kilgore to steal home, though, and the ball is dropped once more, allowing Kunkle to steal home, too. The third inning finally came to a close after Newell struck out.
The score was now 7-2, with the Lady Crimsons back in the lead.
“We are a pretty good hitting team so I knew we would have our chance at the plate. We just had to make sure we made the plays on defense so that we gave ourselves a chance [to get back the lead],” head coach Mark Avetisian.
Fourth:
Russell got the first out for Manual after a hit towards her position at shortstop. However, a hit by pitch (HBP), a big hit up center leftfield, and a walk quickly created some trouble for the Lady Crimsons. Despite Kilgore catching a fly out, a Denmark runner advanced to home. With the bases loaded, a hit up the third base line by Denmark allowed two runners to score. However, during the next play, runner interference marked the third out of the inning.
Fetcher led off to start the bottom of the fourth inning, resulting in a single. Kincaid then hit the ball for a single, too, allowing Fetcher to move to second base. At this point in the game, Denmark decided a pitching change was necessary. Following this, Russell hit the ball hard up to the pitcher, but was safe at first for a single. Bing then struck out, marking the first out. Bynum later hit the ball up to the third baseman, allowing for a quick throw back to home plate for the second out. A strikeout by Kilgore then ended the inning.
The score was no 7-5, with Manual holding onto their lead.
Fifth:
Kilgore got the first out of the inning after catching a pop up. Another hit up towards Kincaid and a quick throw to first base granted the Lady Crimsons their second out. However, a quick bunt allows a runner to get on base. Denmark then hit a line drive up towards Newell, and despite a great effort to get the ball, it blew past her up towards left field, allowing a runner to score. Manual changed pitchers, giving Kunkle a bit of time to warm up. Following this, Denmark had a bug hit, putting runners at third and second bases. Fortunately, a short hit up to Newell, and the throw ensuing granted the third out for the Lady Crimsons.
To mark the bottom of the fifth inning, Kilgore struck out, followed by a walk for Renn. A pop up by Newell marked the second out. Despite Renn stealing second base, another pop up hit by Fetcher marked the third out and end of the fifth inning.
The score was now 7-6, with Manual still in the lead.
Sixth:
The top of the sixth inning marked a quick three-and-out for the Lady Crimsons, including a strikeout by Kunkle.
The bottom of the sixth inning started off with a single by Kincaid. Then, Russell hit a double. This was followed by a home run by Bing, allowing three more runs onto the scoreboard. The next three batters Bynum, Kilgore and Kunkle accumulated the outs to end the inning.
The score was now 10-6, with Manual well in the lead.
Seventh:
The seventh inning was pretty short. A quick out by Russell followed by a Denmark single and a runner interference marked the third and final out of the game. Because they were already in the lead, Manual didn’t need to bat, and the game ended.
“We just need to stay aggressive at the plate. I thought we hit the ball well and we’ve got to be disciplined on our pitches,” Avetisian said.
The Lady Crimsons won with a final score of 10-6. Their next game will be against Massapequa High School on March 31 at 10:30 a.m. in Orlando, FL.
