It was a tale of two ballgames for the Oconto Falls High School softball team last week.
After suffering a 9-1 loss at Shawano on Thursday, the Panthers bounced back and defeated Seymour 5-3 Friday at Seymour behind a powerful performance by the team’s top two hitters, Elizabeth Manns and McKayla Johnson.
“The difference between Thursday and Friday was we did not give up that horrible big inning,” Oconto Falls coach Rochell Otto said.
Against Shawano, which scored eight of its runs with two outs, Oconto Falls gave up six unearned runs in the sixth inning.
“This time around we were able to refocus and pick each other up,” Otto said.
Oconto Falls (3-5, 2-4 Bay Conference) struck early against Seymour, with Manns rapping a single in the lead-off spot and scoring after consecutive wild pitches by Joeley Bluma. After Johnson walked, junior right fielder Madison Helmle hit a RBI single.
Manns (2-3, three runs) hit a two-out solo home run the following inning to put the Panthers ahead 3-0. Johnson, who stole two bases, hit a leadoff home run in the fifth inning. Manns then scored the game’s final run in the seventh inning on a McKenna Holman (1-4) fielder’s choice.
Sophomore pitcher Makenna Kussow held the Thunder scoreless through the first 3 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and striking out three batters before giving up a Julie Baumgart RBI single in the fourth inning. She got into trouble in the fifth inning, when she allowed a two-out home run to Raven Vanden Langenberg (2-4, two runs) and issued two walks.
“She got a little wild that inning, but we took a time out and calmed her down,” Otto said. “We had a couple of errors that inning, but we were able to pick each other up and get right to work.”
Kussow finished with four strikeouts and two walks while allowing three earned runs on eight hits.
Seymour fell to 2-6, 0-5 in the Bay.
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