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ESCANABA---The Escanaba High School softball team got off to a sluggish start in its home-opening doubleheader with the Negaunee Miners on Tuesday, but the Eskymos finished strong in posting 3-2 and 14-0 wins at Lemmerand Park.
"This is kind of what happens in April," Escanaba Coach Andy Fields said. "This time of year, when you've had a week-and-a-half off, it takes a little time to get into it."
In the first game, Negaunee pitcher Krista Carrello kept the Eskymos off balance, getting a bunch of pop flies and shutting Escanaba's powerful offense out for four innings. The Miners, meanwhile, gave up unearned runs in the first and fifth innings, and Negaunee led, 2-0.
Grayson LaMarche hit a towering home run to left field leading off the bottom of the fifth inning to put Escanaba on the board, and then Carly Bowden smacked a one-out home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game at 2-2.
Miya Frederickson got a leadoff single in the seventh inning for Negaunee, but Escanaba pitcher McKayla Mott retired the next three batters, sending the game to the bottom of the seventh inning tied. The Eskymos turned to "small ball" in the bottom of the seventh, as Clara Braun and Delaney McIntyre both got bunt singles to start the inning.
That brought up Carly McInerney, and she smoked one to the left-field fence for the walk-off base hit (although many of the girls didn't realize that the game was over).
"She (Carrello) was throwing pretty good, but it just kind of rose at the end," McInerney said. "We all had to make adjustments and move up to the plate. I made the adjustments that I needed. and I just got the hit down, and that was game!"
"We were a little snakebit early on the bunts," Fields said. "We weren't getting them down. Finally, in that last inning, we got two down, and it won us the game."
Escanaba won despite making five errors. Mott went all seven innings, allowing two runs (both unearned) on five hits. She struck out six and walked only one.
There was no suspense in the second game as the Eskymos scored six runs in the first inning and rolled to the 14-0 win in five innings. LaMarche threw all five innings and allowed only one base hit. She struck out twelve batters (out of 15 outs recorded).
Mott and Bowden both hit home runs in the second game, and Carney Salo had a single, triple, and four runs batted in. LaMarche had two singles and a double in her three at-bats.
Frederickson took the loss in the circle for Negaunee, allowmg 14 runs (all earned) on 14 hits in four innings of work.
Escanaba improved to 10-1 on the season.
ESCANABA---The Escanaba High School softball team got off to a sluggish start in its home-opening doubleheader with the Negaunee Miners on Tuesday, but the Eskymos finished strong in posting 3-2 and 14-0 wins at Lemmerand Park.
"This is kind of what happens in April," Escanaba Coach Andy Fields said. "This time of year, when you've had a week-and-a-half off, it takes a little time to get into it."
Grayson LaMarche hit a towering home run to left field leading off the bottom of the fifth inning to put Escanaba on the board, and then Carly Bowden smacked a one-out home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game at 2-2.
Miya Frederickson got a leadoff single in the seventh inning for Negaunee, but Escanaba pitcher McKayla Mott retired the next three batters, sending the game to the bottom of the seventh inning tied. The Eskymos turned to "small ball" in the bottom of the seventh, as Clara Braun and Delaney McIntyre both got bunt singles to start the inning.
That brought up Carly McInerney, and she smoked one to the left-field fence for the walk-off base hit (although many of the girls didn't realize that the game was over).
"She (Carrello) was throwing pretty good, but it just kind of rose at the end," McInerney said. "We all had to make adjustments and move up to the plate. I made the adjustments that I needed. and I just got the hit down, and that was game!"
"We were a little snakebit early on the bunts," Fields said. "We weren't getting them down. Finally, in that last inning, we got two down, and it won us the game."
There was no suspense in the second game as the Eskymos scored six runs in the first inning and rolled to the 14-0 win in five innings. LaMarche threw all five innings and allowed only one base hit. She struck out twelve batters (out of 15 outs recorded).
Mott and Bowden both hit home runs in the second game, and Carney Salo had a single, triple, and four runs batted in. LaMarche had two singles and a double in her three at-bats.
Frederickson took the loss in the circle for Negaunee, allowmg 14 runs (all earned) on 14 hits in four innings of work.
Escanaba improved to 10-1 on the season.
