Panthers outhit by Tigers; SPASH leaves with league win
By Jacob Heid
Sports Editor
STEVENS POINT – The Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH) varsity softball team didn’t hit the ball as well as they would have liked, but runs still crossed the plate early and often for the Panthers.
A Wisconsin Valley Conference showdown between Marshfield on Apr. 18 at Woyak Park ended in a 6-2 win for SPASH, even with the Tigers getting more opportunities with hits.
Sophomores Kaitlyn Klismith and Mikah Keller, one and two in the batting order, got two of the four hits for SPASH.
Juniors Maren Sauvageau and Addie Simonson had the other two base hits for the Panthers.
Sauvageau and Simonson each tallied an RBI in the win as well.
Klismith opened the bottom half of the first inning with a walk, stealing second on the first pitch of the following at-bat.
Keller beat out a throw to first to put runners at the corners and no outs, bringing senior Riley Pechinski to the plate.
A throwing error to first on a grounder by Pechinski brought both SPASH runners home, grabbing an early 2-0 lead.
The Panthers didn’t stop there. A bases-loaded sacrifice fly by senior Brayley Lake gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Simonson slapped one back up the middle in the next at-bat for an RBI single, making it a 4-0 game after one inning.
More scoring opportunities came along in the bottom half of the second for SPASH.
Klismith got her lone hit of the game, her second time on base in as many tries.
The sophomore moved to third with two outs before Sauvageau brought her home with an RBI double.
Another throwing error on a routine ground ball gave SPASH the 6-0 lead.
From there, walks were the only thing getting SPASH on base.
The Panthers had all four hits and all six runs after two innings.
Sauvageau started in the circle for SPASH and had 86 pitches in a complete game.
Marshfield scored two runs, which were both unearned, in the seventh inning.
She gave up six hits, but her command was the story.
Seven strikeouts on 62 thrown strikes for the junior in her third win of the season.
SPASH’s next game is rescheduled for Friday, Apr. 21, at Wisconsin Rapids. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
