Chargers softball team's patience pays off in conference win

The Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School softball team didn’t post a lot of run-scoring hits, but it took advantage of walks and aggressive baserunning to pull away for a 12-5 Central Wisconsin Conference-East Division win over Menominee Indian on April 19 in Wittenberg.

Witt-Birn ended up walking 11 times and stealing nine bases in the contest. A couple timely hits and extra bases and runs scored on passed balls helped the team score in each of the first five innings to build a comfortable lead.

After junior pitcher Jami Wendler struck out the side in the top of the first, Witt-Birn scored once in the bottom half. Junior Halle Beversdorf walked with one out before stealing second and moving to third on a passed ball. Senior Jadalynn Davids singled her home.

“We were smart on the bases. When we got walks, we were very smart and we stole bases,” said Davids. “When we did get good hits, we got RBIs.”

Witt-Birn batters walked two more times in the inning to load the bases. but Menominee Indian junior pitcher Aniya Peters induced a lineout to end the frame.

Menominee Indian tied the game in the second when sophomore Gabriella Wayka scored on a single from sophomore Jacie Chevalier, but Witt-Birn came back with two runs in its half of the inning.

Sophomore Camryn Miller made it to third after a dropped third strike and error to open the inning before scoring on a passed ball. Junior Lauren Bessette followed with a walk and then stole second before Beversdorf walked with one out. Senior Kaylee Schram later walked to load the bases.

The next batter, freshman Evelyn Fletcher, also thought she walked, and every runner moved up a base as Fletcher trotted to first, but it was only ball three. Fletcher had to come back to the plate, but the other three runners were granted the extra base, with Beversdorf scoring to make it 3-1.

After Wendler stranded runners at second and third base in the third, the Chargers tacked on five runs in their half to take control.

Witt-Birn junior Kiara Deruchowski tripled to open third frame and scored two batters later after a bunt single from Miller. Bessette then plated junior Gwenneth Groshek on an infield single before Miller scored on a Wendler groundout.

Beversdorf kept the rally going with another infield single, scoring Bessette. After stealing second and moving to third on a passed ball, Beversdorf scored on a Davids’ groundout.

Witt-Birn added a single run in the fourth, again with Deruchowski leading the charge. She singled with one out before stealing second. She ended up scoring after two passed balls.

“Oh, it felt awesome,” said Deruchowski on playing the team’s first home game and picking up the win. “This is only our second time on the field (outside) and I think we did pretty good. Being home, we had our home fans here cheering for us and hearing people cheer for you makes you feel better and want to win.”

Despite the large deficit, Menominee Indian didn’t fold. The Eagles scored twice in the fifth frame.

Peters got things started with a walk before moving to third on a double by junior Ashlee Corn. Peters scored on a groundout from senior Alexis Wilber and Corn crossed home after a wild pitch.

The Chargers got the two runs right back and added a third tally in their half of the fifth. Davids plated Beversdorf on a single before she and Schram scored on a Deruchowski single.

After a meeting at the pitching circle, Peters induced a groundout to end the inning and extend the game. She also tossed a scoreless sixth to force the game to the seventh, where the Eagles tacked on their final two runs.

Again, it was Peters who got things started with a walk. She moved to second on a single from Corn before both players moved up on a groundout. Senior Shauna Madosh plated both runners with a two-out single.

“We’ve been working hard all season and I think it really showed today even though the score wasn’t what we thought it would be,” said Peters. “But I think we’re getting better and we still have room to improve.”

Wendler pitched all seven innings for the Chargers, while Peters went the distance for the Eagles. Wendler struck out 12 batters, while Peters had five strikeouts.

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