Hot day, cold bats for Hawks against No. 10 Solon
Spartans limit SH to two hits, score in small chunks to pull away at Kiwanis tourney
South Hamilton second baseman Kaylee Oskvig lunges to make a nice catch on a short pop-up on the infield against No. 10-ranked (Class 3A) Solon on Friday at the Roland Kiwanis Tournament in Roland. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
ROLAND — A slap base hit here, a blooper there, and all of a sudden the South Hamilton softball team found itself in a hole on Friday.
Throw in some silent Hawk bats and that was the ballgame.
Tenth-ranked (Class 3A) Solon nickel and dimed South Hamilton into submission on a scorching afternoon in the sun at the Roland Kiwanis Tournament, as the Spartans sprinkled in runs in drips and drabs en route to an 8-0 victory.
Two runs in the first. Two more in the fourth. One in the fifth. An additional three in the sixth. It’s not like Solon simply overwhelmed South Hamilton, but the Spartans were never in any danger either.
“There were some mental mistakes that we made that gave them opportunities to take some bases they shouldn’t have gotten,” South Hamilton head coach Harry McMaken said. “But they’re a good team.”
Krista Swenson does whatever she can to stay cool in the South Hamilton dugout during Friday’s game against Solon in Roland. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
South Hamilton’s biggest problems arose at the plate. Spartan pitchers Kayla West and Peyton Sands combined to twirl a two-hitter and the Hawks had only five total base runners.
The Solon duo struck out just six batters, but forced the Hawks into 13 ground ball or infield pop-up outs.
“We just didn’t get our bats going,” McMaken said. “We can hit the ball if we just make up our minds to do it and it makes a whole world of difference, both offensively and defensively. When we hit balls, we start getting a little more confidence and then we start playing better defense.”
Krista Swenson roped a base hit through the left side to lead-off the second inning for South Hamilton, but West and Sands retired 14 of the next 15 batters. The only Hawk to reach base during that stretch was Taylor Ratzke, who beat out a throw to first after a dropped third strike.
Jessi Harms gave South Hamilton its second hit on a one-out bouncer into left in the seventh inning.
Hawks’ shortstop Katie Johnson (6) tags out Solon’s Bella Feaker on a stolen base attempt during the Roland Kiwanis tourney. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
Harms took the loss in the circle, as she was touched for nine hits and six earned runs. She also walked five, two of which translated into runs, and struck out five.
Spartans’ lead-off stick Taylor Ryan slapped three singles and scored a pair of runs. Skylar Stookey drove in two runs on a fourth-inning single to left, and Jadyn Jeter also had two RBIs.
The only real shot Harms allowed was a sixth inning solo home run to Madison Rogers. Solon’s No. 2 batter went the other way with a pitch and cleared the right-field fence by just a few feet.
Perry 6, South Hamilton 0
The Hawks’ bats didn’t get any more lively during their second game on Friday, as Perry hurlers Alyssa Kruger and Peyton Tunink limited them to just three singles by Marla Grubb, Leah Jacoby and Hailey Diersen in a shutout win.
DFJ photo/Troy Banning
The Blue Jays scored two runs in the first, second and sixth innings, and tagged South Hamilton pitcher Katie Johnson for 12 hits.
Perry lead-off hitter Johanna Diw went yard twice — a solo home run to left in the first inning and a two-run bomb to center in the sixth.
South Hamilton 8, Colo-NESCO 7 (8)
South Hamilton’s bats came to life on Saturday at the Roland Kiwanis Tournament, as it ripped 15 hits and received a walk-off single from Swenson in the bottom of the eighth inning to nip Colo-NESCO.
Cortney Harris went 4 for 5 with a double and had two RBIs in the win. Grubb and Swenson combined for four singles and four RBIs. Breanne Diersen and Ratzke added two hits each.
DFJ photo/Troy Banning
Johnson was the winning pitcher. She surrendered 15 hits in the complete game showing.
ADM 6, South Hamilton 3
Fourth-ranked (4A) ADM plated three runs in the last half of the fifth inning to break a 3-3 tie on its way to a tournament-closing win over South Hamilton on Saturday.
Harms had two hits and accepted the loss in the circle for the Hawks (7-12). She allowed nine hits, including two doubles to ADM winning pitcher Abbie Hlas.
Grubb laced a double, while Swenson swatted a sixth-inning two-RBI single. Hailey Diersen drove in a run as well.
Roland Kiwanis Tournament
At Roland
Friday
Solon 8, South Hamilton 0
Solon 200 213 0 — 8 9 1
S. Ham 000 000 0 — 0 2 2
Kayla West, Peyton Sands (5) and Skylar Stookey. Jessi Harms and Marla Grubb. W — West. L — Harms. HR — SOL: Madison Rogers. Multiple hits — SOL: Taylor Ryan (3). RBI — SOL: Stookey (2), Jadyn Jeter (2), Ryan, Rogers, Taylor Moore, Jada Buffington.
Perry 6, South Hamilton 0
S. Ham 000 000 0 — 0 3 5
Perry 220 002 x — 6 12 0
Katie Johnson and Hailey Diersen. Alyssa Kruger, Peyton Tunink (7) and Gabby West. W — Kruger. L — Johnson. 2B — PER: Kruger, West, Sidney Vancil. HR — PER: Johanna Diw (2). Multiple hits — PER: Diw, Vancil, West, TJ Sheehy, Grace Stewart. RBI — PER: Diw (3), Kruger (2), Vancil.
Saturday
S. Hamilton 8, Colo-NESCO 7 (8)
C-N 420 000 10 — 7 15 3
S. Ham 013 012 01 — 8 15 1
MacKenna Ruffcorn, Rylee Purvis (4) and Chelsea Henze. Katie Johnson and Marla Grubb. W — Johnson. L — Purvis. 2B — C-N: Ruffcorn; SH: Johnson, Cortney Harris (2). 3B — C-N: Henze. Multiple hits — C-N: Purvis (3), Ruffcorn (3), Henze, Megan Carlson; SH: Harris (4), Grubb, Krista Swenson, Taylor Ratzke. RBI — C-N: Henze (3), Ruffcorn (2), Carlson, Gracie Kettwig; SH: Harris (2), Swenson (2), Grubb (2), Kaylee Oskvig.
ADM 6, South Hamilton 3
S. Ham 000 300 — 3 6 3
ADM 111 03x — 6 9 2
Jessi Harms and Hailey Diersen. Abbie Hlas and Ashley Tennant. W — Hlas. L — Harms. 2B — SH: Marla Grubb; ADM: Hlas. Multiple hits — SH: Harms; ADM: Hlas. RBI — SH: H. Diersen, Krista Swenson; C-N: Hlas (2), Sierra Wyant, Brynn Busta, Aniston Smith.
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- South Hamilton second baseman Kaylee Oskvig lunges to make a nice catch on a short pop-up on the infield against No. 10-ranked (Class 3A) Solon on Friday at the Roland Kiwanis Tournament in Roland. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
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- DFJ photo/Troy Banning
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- DFJ photo/Troy Banning
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- Hawks’ shortstop Katie Johnson (6) tags out Solon’s Bella Feaker on a stolen base attempt during the Roland Kiwanis tourney. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
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- Krista Swenson does whatever she can to stay cool in the South Hamilton dugout during Friday’s game against Solon in Roland. DFJ photo/Troy Banning