Softball goes the distance in sweep
The Raider softball team won its first two Big Rivers Conference games in dramatic fashion last week, winning both games of a doubleheader against Menomonie.By: Bob Burrows, Hudson Star-Observer
- Alex Johnson delivers a pitch to the plate
The Raider softball team won its first two Big Rivers Conference games in dramatic fashion last week, winning the opener of a doubleheader with Menomonie, 6-5, on a three-run walk-off home run by Deven DuCharme before rallying in the second game for eight runs in the seventh inning to tie the score and winning, 12-11, in eight innings.
The sweep improved the Raiders’ record to 4-0 overall and left them tied with Rice Lake and Chippewa Falls for first place in the Big Rivers Conference at 2-0.
Hudson will play a doubleheader at River Falls (2-3, 0-2) Thursday, April 28 beginning at 4 p.m. and play a pair of nonconference games at Marshfield on Saturday, April 30.
Last Thursday in their BRC opener against Menomonie, the Raiders trailed the entire game before DuCharme hit her second home run of the game — a three-run shot with one out in the seventh, to give Hudson a 6-5 victory.
Menomonie jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first before the Raiders pulled to within a run in the bottom of the second on a two-run single by Destrey Zarfos that plated Alex Johnson and Lexi Smith.
Menomonie scored one in the second to extend its lead to 4-2 before DuCharme drilled a solo shot in the bottom of the third to pull the Raiders within a run again.
The score remained that way until the Indians pushed a run across in the top of the seventh to take a 5-3 lead.
Trailing by two in the bottom of the seventh, Shelby Berger hit a one-out single and Kindra Witthus followed with a walk before DuCharme stepped to the plate and hit a three-run homer to end the game.
Johnson struck out four and walked just one while going the distance on the mound to earn the win. She allowed 12 hits but just two of the Indians’ five runs were earned.
Johnson helped herself at the plate with two hits and a run scored while Lexi Smith added a pair of hits and scored a run and Zarfos had a hit and two RBI.
In the nightcap, Hudson came back from eight runs down in the top of the seventh to tie the score, 11-11, then took a 12-11 lead in the top of the eight when Monica Hendricks doubled and scored on a base hit by Serena Schultz. Johnson retired the Indians in order in the bottom of the inning to preserve the win.
Hendricks had an RBI single on the fourth to score Maya Triebold with the Raiders’ first run of the game to make the score 6-1. Hudson scored two more runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Schultz and Sydney Berger that scored Smith and Hendricks, but the Raiders trailed 11-3 going into the top of the seventh.
Triebold doubled in a pair of runs to start the seventh inning rally and Johnson had an RBI single while Ellie Whitacre drew a bases-loaded, pinch-hit single to force in a run and Hendricks followed with a two-run double. Schultz also had an RBI in the inning while Witthus tied the score with a solo home run.
Schultz had three hits and three RBI in the win while Hendricks had two hits, two RBI and three runs scored. Triebold also had a pair of hits, two RBI and two runs scored while DuCharme was 3-for-5 and scored a run and Johnson and Smith had a hit and RBI each.
Smith started on the mound and was tagged for nine runs, all earned, on nine hits with one walk and one strikeout. Johnson came on in the sixth and allowed two earned runs on four hits with one walk and one strikeout and was credited with the win.
Tags: sports, softball, raiders, prep
More from around the web
RSS Feeds