MACA 4, Paynesville 1
Kelsey DeCamp's bat resonated with a double that put coach Mary Holmberg's crew in command on Thursday. DeCamp drove in three runs with this blast that came in the third inning. It put Morris Area Chokio Alberta in command en route to a 4-1 win over Paynesville, here.
The score stood 4-1 after DeCamp got perched at second. After that the Tigers cruised on the strength of Mackenzie Weatherly's pitching.
Weatherly, a seasoned hurler, marked opener day with a complete game gem of seven innings. She allowed but two hits and set down nine Bulldog batters on strikes. She was in the groove with her control too, issuing a mere one walk.
She out-dueled Jackie Skoglund of the green-clad Bulldogs. Skoglund didn't walk anybody but she allowed eight hits.
The first Tiger run of the new season was driven in by Hannah Sayles. Sayles picked up her RBI in the first inning.
Coach Holmberg could feel satisfied with the balanced hitting. Haley Scheldorf stood out at two-for-three.
Otherwise the attack was marked by Tigers each getting one hit: Sadie Fischer (one hit in four at-bats), Dani Schultz (1/4), Hannah Sayles (1/3 and an RBI), Kelsey DeCamp (1/3 and three RBIs), Courtney Ehleringer (1/3) and Olivia Reiners (1/1).
The Tigers fielded cleanly, a great sign for so early. Their error total was a mere one while Paynesville had two.
Paynesville's Jenna Kincade seemed to have Weatherly figured out but she needed more help. For Jenna's part, she had a triple and single and drove in Paynesville's only run.
Paynesville's Jenna Kincade seemed to have Weatherly figured out but she needed more help. For Jenna's part, she had a triple and single and drove in Paynesville's only run.
MACA 6, Yellow Medicine East 0
Weatherly didn't miss a beat going into Friday. The Friday story was a 6-0 Tiger triumph over YME that saw the Tiger hurler flirt with a no-hitter. She had a no-hitter going into the seventh inning.
There were in fact two outs in the seventh when a Sting player finally applied the sting to that no-hit bid. Ashly Sneller connected for a single up the middle for YME's first safety. It was a minor blemish when you consider all the MA-CA pluses on the afternoon.
Weatherly struck out 13 batters to complement her one-hitter. She was backed by an awesome offense as the Tiger batters came through with 14 hits. Weatherly was nearly perfect after issuing a first inning walk. She retired the Sting in order over the next five innings.
The Sneller hit will be quickly forgotten. What's important for the Tigers is that they entered the weekend with a 2-0 record.
The Friday game at YME was a little more suspenseful than you might think. It took a while for the MACA bats to get warm. The score at the end of four innings was 1-0.
Finally in the fifth, MACA got untracked to get some breathing room. The Tigers rallied for four runs in the fifth and tacked on an insurance run in the sixth.
The Tigers outhit YME 14-1 and committed zero errors to YME's two. Clean fielding this time of year is among the most encouraging signs.
Sadie Fischer had a double as part of going two-for-four. Dani Schultz had a hot bat, posting three-for-four boxscore numbers and driving in two runs.
Hannah Sayles and Kelsey DeCamp both finished at two-for-four. Mackenzie Weatherly looked just as proficient with her bat as when on the pitching rubber. Weatherly had a two-for-three showing and two RBIs.
Haley Scheldorf wielded a productive bat at two-for-three. Katie Holzheimer had a hit to round out the attack.
Weatherly set down 13 Sting batters on strikes, and walked just one.
The Tigers aim to build on that impressive start-of-season burst. April showers hopefully won't be too much of an impediment.
- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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