The Becker Bulldog girls softball team finally were able to get in a few games to start the season as Mother Nature tried her best to sabotage early spring. Becker won both contests.

 

 

Thursday, the girls traveled to Zimmerman to take on a conference and section opponent in the Thunder.  

 

The game started out looking like it might be a blowout as the visitors put up four runs in the top of the first inning, but the Thunder had other plans.

 

Hailey Fitzpatrick and Ellie Schwartz led off the game with bunt singles and both were driven in by Payton Williams, who doubled to the gap in right center.  Erika Schwartz followed with a double of her own to drive in Williams to put the Lady Bulldogs up by three.  Later in the inning, Schwartz scored on a ground out by Corrie Weise to make the score 4-0.

 

The score stayed the same until the top of the fourth when a clutch, two-out single by Brinley Zoller plated Weise to make the score 5-0.  

 

After being stymied by Brianna Corey for three innings, the Thunder bats came to life in the bottom of the fourth when a leadoff double and four singles brought three runs across to tighten Becker’s lead.  Corey, however, pitched out of the jam and proceeded to finish off the Thunder by giving up just two more hits in the final three innings to give Becker the two-run win.

 

Fitzpatrick and Ellie Schwartz each had two hits to lead the Bulldogs.  Corey went all seven innings on the mound and struck out nine batters without allowing a walk.  She surrendered eight hits and three earned runs.

 

 

Tuesday afternoon, Becker had to battle not only the Maple Lake Irish but the weather. 

 

Maple Lake is an exceptional team and finished in second place at last year's state tournament. They hosted the game on a cold, blustery day.

 

The Irish got on the board first with two runs in the bottom of the first inning after the leadoff batter reached on an error, another on a walk and two others on singles brought home the runs.  

 

Maple Lake added another run in the second with a leadoff walk and a two-out single to make the score 3-0.   

 

In the bottom of the fourth, the Irish were able to tack on two more runs on a bases loaded, two-out single up the middle to make the score 5-0. 

 

Things looked dour for the Bulldogs until the top of fifth when the Bulldog bats finally came alive and balls started to find holes in the Irish defense.

 

Kaylyn Wiehle and Fitzpatrick started the inning with back-to-back singles.  With one out, Williams drove them both in with a single to make it 5-2.  After an Erika Schwartz single, Alexa Hanowski drove in the team’s third run with a base hit.  Sydney Lamott added another RBI single and the girls evened the game at five with a Weise double to right center.  

 

The Bulldogs weren’t done as they put up another pair of runs in the sixth when Wiehle scored on a Williams sacrifice fly and Ellie Schwartz scored on a single by her sister Erika.  

 

The Irish threatened with a leadoff double in the seventh, but that’s as close as they could get.

 

Fitzpatrick, Erika Schwartz and Wiehle each had two hits, while eighth-grader Weise went 3-3 with a walk. Williams notched three RBIs.  

 

Corey got the start and went four innings while  Weise came on in relief and threw the final three innings to pick up the win.

 

“I was very impressed with our resiliency,” said Head Coach Jason Baune.  “It would have been easy to hang our heads when we fell behind by five runs to a quality opponent, but the girls refused to give up and pulled out a big win.”

 

The girls headed to Wisconsin Dells this weekend to play three games  Friday and Saturday.  Friday they’ll take on LaCrosse Logan, the defending Division II state champions and current #1 ranked team in Wisconsin.  Saturday, the girls will take on two more quality teams  in Merrill High School and Antigo High School.

 

After this weekend's road trip, the Bulldogs stay on the road next week as they travel to St. Cloud Cathedral Tuesday and Albany Thursday. (Last Monday’s scheduled game against Little Falls was postponed due to weather and will be made up as a doubleheader in Becker on May 12.)  

 

“These first two games have shown me a lot about the character of the 14 girls on the team,” said Baune.  “Hopefully we can continue to show this much mental toughness as we go through the rest of the season