By Tim “Shoe” Sullivan

Under perfect skies, the Portage County Women’s Softball League was in action Thursday at Iverson Park.

In the tripleheader, Johnny & The Bootleggers (3-1) blasted Star Struck (1-2), 25-2; Rookie’s Royals (4-0) beat Star Struck (1-3), 14-4, and Morey’s (1-2) was an 11-1 winner over Two Harps (0-3).

The opening game was pretty much over in the first inning as Johnny & The Bootleggers hammered Star Struck with 12 runs. Bootleggers’ manager Cheyenne Hahn explained, “It was nice to pick up a win. Rookie’s Royals beat us pretty good last week”.

The winners exploded for eleven hits in the first. The rally included singles by Liz Morrison, Cheyenne Hahn, winning pitcher Kristin Felts, Dana Krug, Stacey Zarecki, Chelsey Vidal, and Hailee Fuller. Kayla Keepers also doubled and Mak Lee came through with a double and single.

And the hits just kept coming for Johnny & The Bootleggers. The winners had 31 hits to eight for Star Struck. The Bootleggers’ bottom three hitters (Kayla Keepers, Kara Sleeter, and Chelsey Vidal), went 14 for 15!! Star Struck’s two runs came in the third when Readie Meyer and Chelsey Zarecki scored following singles by Sarah Gray and Brittany Zarecki. League scouts Pierre Stanford and Logan Marcell watched the action from the scorebooth.

STAR STRUCK BATTING STATS: Chelsey Zarecki: two singles; Brittany Zarecki: two singles; Brianna O’Donnell: single; Karli Homann: single; Misty Howland: single; Sarah Gray: single. (Sarah was spotted hitting in the batting cage at Iverson prior to the game).

JOHNNY & THE BOOTLEGGERS BATTING STATS: Hailee Fuller: walk, single, two doubles; Liz Morrison: two singles; Cheyenne Hahn: walk, single; Mak Lee: double, three singles; Kristin Felts: three singles, walk; Dana Krug: two singles; Stacey Zarecki: two singles, walk; Kayla Keepers: two doubles, three singles; Kara Sleeter: four singles; Chelsey Vidal: five singles.

Morey’s won their first game of the year by beating Two Harps, 11-1. Morey’s is now 1-2 while the Harps fell to 0-3. Shannon Hoffman got the ball rolling for Morey’s with a long three-run homer to right in the top of the second. Key hits by Brittany Spindler, Laura Waltenburg, and Stephanie Spindler earned Morey’s four more runs in the third.

Two Harps got their only run in the fifth on walks to Darcie Garcia, Toni Gaddo, Marissa Schelke, and Kayla Perez. Morey’s pitcher Jean Higdon only allowed three singles but did walk nine batters. Megan Ziolkowski led the Morey’s attack with four hits while Brittany Spindler, Laura Waltenburg, and Stephanie Spindler chipped in two hits each and Cheyenne Zabawa walked three times. You know, like that Tony Orlando and Dawn song. Oh wait. That was “Knock Three Times”. My bad.

TWO HARPS BATTING STATS: Singles: Kari Stanczyk, Brooke Sprecher, Toni Gaddo. Walks: Marissa Schelke (2), Kayla Perez (2), Brooke Sprecher (1), Wendy Johnston (1), Darcie Garcia (1), Toni Gaddo (1).
MOREY’S BAR BATTING STATS: Brittany Spindler: two singles; Cheyenne Zabawa: three walks; Laura Waltenburg: two singles; Stephanie Spindler: two singles; Jean Higdon: single, Megan Ziolkowski: three singles, double; Shannon Hoffman: home run.

The final game of the evening saw the 4-0 Rookie’s Royals bounce Star Struck (1-3), 14-4. An amazing play was made in the sixth inning, but it wasn’t by a player. Logan Marcell was scouting Star Struck from way up in the score booth. Rookie’s Royals’ Jodi Napiwacki fouled a pitch back to the backstop, and the ball somehow carried through a one-foot opening and headed straight into the score booth where Logan caught it barehanded on the fly.

Speaking of great catches, Star Struck’s Readie Meyer and Chelsey Zarecki made a couple in the outfield and Karli Homann was outstanding at shortstop in a losing cause.

Singles by Katie Steinbach, Amy Kurszewski, Jacci Seefeldt, and Valerie Folan netted the Royals four runs in the first. Six straight hits by Amy Kurszewski, Seefeldt, Samantha Zommers, Nicole Kirsch, Folan, and winning hurler Beke Blue brought in five more runs in the second. The winners had 23 hits to Star Struck’s nine. Struck scored three runs in the third when Miranda Zarecki singled and Steph Homann and Karli Homann each doubled.

STAR STRUCK BATTING STATS: Chelsey Zarecki: single; Readie Meyer: two singles; Karli Homann: single, double; Brittany Zarecki: single; Miranda Zarecki: single; Shae Kellner: walk; Misty Howland: walk; Steph Homann: double, single.

ROOKIE’S ROYALS BATTING STATS: Becky Kurszewski: two walks, two singles, double; Katie Steinbach: three single, double; Amy Kurszewski: two singles, double; Jacci Seefeldt: three singles; Samantha Zommers: two singles; Nicole Kirsch: two singles, double; Valerie Folan: two singles; Beke Blue: single; Erin Laffe: single; Jodi Napiwacki: single, historic foul ball in scorebooth.

LEAGUE RECORDS: Rookie’s Royals: 4-0; Johnny & The Bootleggers: 3-1; Morey’s: 1-2; Star Struck: 1-3; Two Harps: 0-3.