Diamond Results: March 27
Westview Softball 7, Wawasee 2
Alexys Antal was untouchable for six innings as Westview stonewalled Wawasee Saturday afternoon in Emma.
Antal was perfect through six innings before Wawasee finally solved the Westview pitcher in the seventh. Antal struck out 13 through the first six innings and 15 overall in the contest, Wawasee not getting a ball out of the infield until the seventh. Haylee Allen broke up the perfect game with a double in the seventh, and after Kiaundra Olson singled, Ari Garcia knocked in both Wawasee tallies with a two-out, two-run single.
Antal led Westview’s offense with four runs scored without the service of a hit, drawing a pair of walks and reaching on an error and fielder’s choice. Wawasee (0-1) committed four errors on the day.
Olivia Stuck allowed just three hits and struck out 11 in four innings of work for Wawasee, but also had seven wild pitches.
Bremen Softball 17, NorthWood 3
Bremen wasted little time distancing itself from NorthWood Saturday morning at Sunnyside Park.
After taking a 2-0 lead after an inning, the Lions thumped out five runs in the second and eight more in the third to blow the game open.
Gretchen Willis led the Lions offense with two homers and five driven in, Katie Moyer doubled, homered and drove in four, and Hanna DePoy and Jaylin Swint both homered, combined to knock in six and scored five total runs.
Halle DeMien tripled, scored a run and drove in one to pace the Panthers in its season opener.
St. Francis Softball 14, Grace 2
Grace 4, St. Francis 1
A complete-game performance from Jeri Ellis helped Grace’s softball team to a split with St. Francis on Saturday.
After Grace lost the opener 14-2, Ellis’s arm propelled the Lady Lancers to a 4-1 victory to end the day.
Grace struggled out of the gate against USF. The Lady Lancers committed several untimely errors in the field, and the Cougars’ bats were sharp at the onset.
The Cougars racked up 14 runs between the second and fifth innings, ending the game prematurely due to the run rule.
Ellis drove in the only runs of the game for Grace, finishing 1 for 3 with two RBIs. Laikyn Lowe walked and scored a run, and Olivia Hess also walked and plated.
In the second game, the majority of the runs were plated in the second inning. USF scored first in the top of the second to take a 1-0 lead which proved to be short-lived.
Lowe and Hess reached base to begin the second inning, and the pair came home to score after a throwing error by the Cougars.
Ellis helped her own cause with a double on the next at-bat, scoring Bethany Gardner to provide Grace a 3-1 lead.
Ellis took care of the rest from the mound. Although USF had a hit in each of the next three innings, Grace’s defense kept the Cougars from scoring. Lowe completed a 6-3 double play in the fifth to end a potential rally by USF.
Ellis seemed to get better as the game progressed, mowing down USF 1-2-3 in the sixth and seventh innings to secure the win. For the game, she allowed six scattered hits with one walk. She needed just 81 pitches to complete the game.
Jessica Kaurich hit 3 for 3 with an RBI, and Ellis and Jaden Cardoso each finished 2 for 4. Gardner, Ellis and Britney Young all doubled in the game.
The Lady Lancers are back home on Tuesday with a doubleheader against Mt. Vernon Nazarene starting at 3 p.m.
Spring Arbor Baseball 8, Grace 5
Grace 7, Spring Arbor 1
Grace’s baseball team concluded its four-game series with Spring Arbor on a positive note.
The Lancers split the doubleheader on Saturday, falling 8-5 in the opener before winning 7-1 to end the day.
Grace was only outhit 8-7 in the first game, but the Cougars were efficient to turn their hits into runs.
Seven of SAU’s eight hits in the opener went for extra bases, including 4 doubles, 2 triples and 1 homer. Spring Arbor plated five times in the second inning and three times in the fourth, and Grace was unable to catch up.
The Lancers still had chances, scoring three runs in the sixth and another in the seventh. But Grace left multiple runners on base three times over the final four innings, allowing the Cougars to hold on for the win.
Jake Decker pitched the final 4.2 innings for Grace, yielding one earned run with two hits and four strikeouts.
Chris Griffin hit 3 for 4 with 2 runs, 1 double and 1 RBI, and Alex Rich was 2 for 5 with 1 double, 1 run and 1 stolen base.
In the second game, Grace jumped out to a 5-0 lead through its half of the fourth inning. Griffin doubled in the opening inning to plate Jaron Mullet for the game’s first run.
Grace seized control of the game with a four-run fourth. The first six batters reached base safely, including run-scoring hits by Sam Newkirk, Rich and Griffin.
The Cougars scored once in the bottom of the fourth, but Grace quickly retaliated with two more in the top of the fifth. Dalton Turner and Colin Carr had back-to-back doubles to kickstart the Lancers’ inning.
In the end, Grace only needed a few runs to win thanks to the sterling pitching performance from Kameron Koch.
Koch pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and one run. He walked three and struck out three to earn the win from the mound.
Griffin hit 2 for 4 with two RBIs, Turner batted 2 for 4 with two runs scored, and Jeff Pawlik was 2 for 4 with a stolen base.
The Lancers’ next doubleheader is Tuesday against IU South Bend. The games are scheduled for 4 p.m. in Granger, Ind.