Wawasee Softball: Panthers Take Advantage Of Absences
NAPPANEE – A short-handed Wawasee softball team found the going tough Friday at Stauffer Park, losing 4-3 to NorthWood.
Wawasee, effectively missing three of its biggest bats, had trouble creating offense against a stout Panther squad. Much like the Chicago Cubs playing without Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, Wawasee was missing catcher Danielle Gunkel to a high ankle sprain and infielders Kylee Rostochak and Meghan Fretz to a school trip. In their stead, Wawasee mustered just seven hits against NorthWood ace Taylor Troxel.
Troxel fanned eight and kept Wawasee off the board in the final four innings while her team rallied to take the lead. Wawasee scored two runs in the first and regained the lead, 3-2, in the third. NorthWood came back to take the lead in the fifth with two runs.
Amber Lemberg took the loss for Wawasee, giving up six hits, five walks and struck out three.
Madie Wilson, Allissa Flores and Lemberg each had two hits, Lemberg driving in two and Flores one.
Arika Flickinger had a two-run double for NorthWood, and both Troxel and Hannah Stickley had a pair of hits.
Wawasee falls to 8-2 overall and 2-1 in the NLC while NorthWood picks up its first win in the NLC and moves to 5-4 overall and 1-2 in conference. Wawasee will host its Wawasee Invitational Saturday morning, playing Whitko at 10 a.m. with Rochester and South Bend Clay playing opposite. Game one’s winners play for the title following the morning session.