Lady Warriors very busy with six wins in seven days
Tuscola’s softball team played six games in seven days to open the season. They backed up their 2-0 effort during their southern swing with four more wins this past week. The Lady Warriors upended a very strong Villa Grove squad in extra innings 6-3 on Monday the 18th, then dropped Monticello in the Warriors’ home opener 5-4 one night later thanks to a walk off dinger from Claire Ring before ending the week with a pair of wins. They upended Gibson City 8-1 on Thursday and Cerro Gordo 15-0 on Friday behind a one hitter by senior Ashton Smith improving to 6-0 on the year.
Kaitlyn Reifsteck collected the extra inning win over the Lady Blue Devils scattering seven hits and three walks out over eight innings of work. She was solid striking out ten in the game and rising up late to get out of a jam in the bottom of the sixth. The sophomore hurler was also strong at the plate going 2 for 4 on the day. Kendal Morgan also came up big at the dish going 2 for 4 as well while donating two RBI’s to the cause. Jackie Watson was a table setter reaching three of the four times she stepped to the plate, delivering a hit and two walks.
It was a pitchers’ duel through four as the two teams hung goose eggs on the board until the Warriors broke the tie with a pair in the top of the fifth. Morgan led off the frame with a double, moved on a bunt single by Abbey Jacob, and scored on a single up the middle by Jessie Martin. Jacob was caught at the plate on a nice play by VG, but Martin found her way home on a slap single by Kendyl Ring making it 2-0 Warriors. Watson singled to open the sixth, gave way on the base paths to Sofia James who moved on a wild pitch and a ground ball by Smith and scored on a single by Reifsteck and pushed the lead to 3-0.
VG put the pressure on the bottom half with three runs on three hits to knot it at three heading into the final frame. Goose eggs by both forced free softball where the Warriors took advantage of a pair of walks to Watson, C. Ring and Smith set up RBI sac by Reifsteck and a two-RBI single by Morgan gave the Warriors a three-run cushion after seven and a half. Reifsteck took care of the leadoff and then leaned on her defense for a pair of pop flies to end the suspense as the Warriors moved to 3-0 on the season.