Woman’s Fall Ball Dives Headlong Into Season
Team Biadasz, Graffiti’s and Rookies Royals win in Iverson triple-header
By Tim “Shoe” Sullivan
Three games were on tap Thursday night at Iverson Park as the newly-formed Portage County Women’s Softball League completed a rare tripleheader. The Scores: Team Biadasz 8 Rough Rookies 4; Graffiti’s 12 Post Road Pub Punishers 0; Rookie’s Royals 12 Post Road Pub Punishers 2.
Under blue skies and perfect fall softball weather, Team Biadasz outhit the Rough Rookies, 12-8 as they won by four runs. Rookies’ shortstop Mickey Terry noted, “It seemed like every time we’d get something going, their pitcher (Julie Peskie) would strike out somebody.”
This was true as the Biadasz hurler fanned eight enemy hitters. Team Biadasz drew first blood in the first inning with two runs. Julie Peskie’s double, Meg Lee’s booming triple, and Melissa Dombrowski’s RBI single did the trick.
The winners added four more runs in the third thanks to singles by Bria Hahn, Peskie, Miranda Yoose, and Brittany Mae mixed in with Sage Stanchik’s walk and Meg Lee’s double. 6-0 Biadacz after three.
Team Biadasz came up with two additional runs in the bottom of the fourth as Amber “Chipmunk” Hintz and Melissa “1818” Dombrowski walked and Bria Hahn and Meg Lee smacked singles.
Rough Rookie’s finally scored in the top of the fifth when Maddie Sugenor doubled and came home on Christine Lutze’s base hit. The Rough Rookie’s pushed across three more in the sixth when Kayla Higgins and Patty Johnson walked and Kaitlyn Knutson, Mickey Terry, and Maddie each singled. That ended the scoring.
Team Biadasz’s Meg Lee commented: “I lost track of the number of times we’d get a runner on first and the next batter would hit a groundball to short (Terry). Then she’d toss it to Kaitlyn Knutson at second to get the force. They must’ve had five of those.” (Actually it was six).
Jesse “The Legend” Higgins umpired home plate while Corey Blake handled the bases. Patty Johnson’s buddy Danielle Meyer worked the scoreboard flawlessly. Meyer said: “I was just sitting in the bleachers when they called over the p.a. and told me to run the scoreboard. Actually, it was kinda fun.”
TOP HITTERS FOR ROUGH ROOKIES: Kaitlyn Knutson: single, run. Mickey Terry: two singles, run. Patty Johnson: two walks. Maddie Sugenor: double, single, run. Courtney Erdman: single. Katie Houston: single. Christine Lutze: single. Alania Rustad: walk. Kayla Higgins: walk (and yelled at umpire Higgins).
TOP HITTERS FOR TEAM BIADASZ: Bria Hahn: two singles, walk. Julie Peskie: double, single. Meg Lee: triple, double, single. Miranda Yoose: two singles. Melissa “1818” Dombrowski: single, walk. Sage Stanchik: walk. Michelle Zick: walk, good plays at third. Brittany Mae: single, walk.
Amber Hintz: walk, single, run.
The National Anthem was played prior to Game One.
Game Two was a good old-fashioned blowout as Graffiti’s (1-0) opened its season by shutting out PRPP, 12-0. Their one run in the first was actually all they needed. Cheyenne Hahn singled and Nicole Ircke and Mak Lee doubled. Graffiti’s had a big six-run third to put the game away.
Included in the rally were a single by Madison Allison, Mak Lee’s walk, doubles by Nicole Ircke, Kristen Felts, and Hailee Fuller, and a triple by Cheyenne Hahn. The winners finished it for good in the top of the sixth with five more runs crossing the plate. Hailee Fuller walked and hitting consecutive singles were Liz Morrison, Kara Sleeter, Chelsey Vidal, Madison Allison, and Nicole Ircke.
Although the Punishers failed to score, they did have ten hits but nine were singles. Four of their runners did reach third base (Kristin DeVogel, Deseree Lehman, and Tiffany Feltz twice) but they all were left stranded. Losing pitcher Devin Lehman commented: “I liked it when they played “Mony Mony” over the p.a.!”
Kayla Higgins did a fine job working the scoreboard and fan Scott Somers caught a foul ball in the stands. The legendary “Ma” Pesch was also in the house. League Founder Erin Laffe said: “I was just so proud of everybody! It seemed like everyone had a good time, and there were some great plays out there.”
In between games, umpire Higgins presented Laffe with laminated score sheets of the historic first two games from last week.
The third game of the triple-header was almost identical to the second. Rookie’s Royals scored 12 and Post Road came up with two. Post Road was outhit, 19-7. Rookie’s Royals played “small ball” by scoring five runs in the first.
The Royals had walks by Erin Laffe and Ainee Soetart and singles by Amy Kurzewski, Becky Kurzewski, Valarie Folan, Brittany Pepowski, winning pitcher Beke Blue, and catcher Jenna Lewandowski. Five more runs came in for the Royals of Rookie’s in the third when Amy Kurzewski and Katie Steinbach doubled, Jenna Lewandowski
tripled, Beke Blue coaxed a base on balls, and Becky Kurzewski, Erin Laffe, and Ainee Soetart each singled.
Post Road Pub Punishers scored one run in the third when Kristin DeVogel walked, moved to second on a walk to Tiffany Feltz, and came home on Alishea Johnson’s RBI single. The Pubbers got their second run in the sixth as Tiffany Feltz walked and Toni Gaddo and Alishea Johnson delivered base knocks.
Winning pitcher Beke Blue commented, “To me, the highlight was in the second inning when I saw a chipmunk running around in our dugout.”
TOP HITTERS FOR POST ROAD PUB PUNISHERS (GAME TWO): Kristin DeVogel: single. Tiffany Feltz: two singles. Toni Gaddo: single, two walks. Alishea Johnson: two singles. Desiree Lehman: single. Jean Higdon: single. Megan Ziolkowski: double, single. NOTE: Catcher Suzie Alimi
made an ESPN highlight play!!!
TOP HITTERS FOR GRAFFITI’S: Nicole Ircke: two doubles, two singles. Cheyenne Hahn: single, double, triple. Kristen Felts: double, two singles. Mak Lee: double, walk. Hailee Fuller: double, walk, great slide. Liz Morrison: two singles. Kara Sleeter: walk, single. Chelsey Vidal: single, two runs. Madison Allison: two singles.
TOP HITTERS FOR POST ROAD PUB PUNISHERS (GAME THREE): Kristin DeVogel: walk, run. Tiffany Feltz: two walks, run. Toni Gaddo: two singles. Alishea Johnson: three singles. Devin Lehman: single. Megan Ziolkowski: single.
TOP HITTERS FOR ROOKIE’S ROYALS: Amy Kurzewski: two singles, double. Nicole Kirsch: walk, run. Katie Steinbach: single, double, walk. Becky Kurzewski: three singles. Valarie Folan: two singles. Erin Laffe: walk, three singles. Brittany Pepowski: single. Beke Blue: single, walk. Jenna Lewandowski: two singles, triple. Rickie Weeks: two strikeouts. (Just seeing if you’re paying attention). Ainee Soetart: walk, single.
PCWSL STANDINGS: Rookie’s Royals: 2-0; Graffiti’s: 1-0; Team Biadasz: 1-1; Rough Rookies: 1-1; Post Road Punishers: 0-3.
NEXT WEEK’S SCHEDULE: Thursday, September 15: 6:30: Team Biadasz vs Graffiti’s. 7:30: Rookie’s Royals vs Rough Rookies. Bye: Post Road Pub Punishers.
Th … tha … that’s all folks!!
