This story is sponsored by Dental Clinic of Marshfield
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – The calendar turns to May on Sunday and the Marshfield softball team hit the field Friday for just the seventh time.
Rain or snow kept the Tigers indoors for the majority of early portion of the season and has seen numerous games postponed or cancelled along the way.
The rustiness showed as Marshfield committed six errors and allowed 10 runs over the final three innings in a 12-8 loss to previously winless Wausau East in a Wisconsin Valley Conference game at the Marshfield Fieldhouse.
“We’re a young team and we’re learning,” Marshfield coach Mike Voss said. “Unfortunately, our second baseman Lindsey Duerr, wasn’t gone tonight, and it showed tonight with not just our mistakes on defense, but her (lack of) leadership really affected us.”
Marshfield jumped out to a 4-0 lead after plating a pair of runs in both the first and second innings.
In the first, Rhiannon Baierl had an RBI single to score Becky Boehning, who reach on an error, and Kristin Kniech had a sacrifice fly to score pinch-runner Autumn Slowiak.
The Tigers went up 4-0 when Katie Treankler singled and came around to score on two errors on the same play by Wausau East as Megan Gregorich attempted to bunt. Gregorich later scored on a wild pitch.
East chipped away with a pair of runs in the third and three more in the fifth to take a 5-4 lead.
Marshfield battled back in the bottom of the inning to regain the lead with three runs. Treankler had an RBI fielder’s choice, Taylor Hasz scored on a wild pitch and Treankler later scored on an RBI single by Boehning to put the Tigers up 7-5.
The see-saw affair continued as the Lumberjacks (1-5, 1-2 WVC) pulled ahead with a four-run sixth, thanks to three Marshfield errors.
Ashley Klatt, who finished 4-for-4, had the big blow with a two-run single with two outs. Platt later scored on an error and Emilie Waack delivered an RBI double to put East up 9-7.
Marshfield edged closer with a run in the sixth. Baierl doubled and Slowiak, who was pinch-running, scored on a wild pitch – the third Tigers’ run to score via a wild pitch by East pitcher Waack.
East added three insurance runs in the seventh on five hits against Baierl, who struck out one and walked three. Brianna Borchardt, Klatt and Paige Henrich had RBI singles in the frame.
Marshfield was retired in order in the bottom of the seventh by Waack, who struck out three and walked four.
“There were some innings where we got some girls on but couldn’t seem to come up with that big hit,” Voss said. “We started out good, going up 4-0 on them, but we started making some mistakes. That kind of got us down and built their confidence a little bit.”
Marshfield plays a nonconference doubleheader at Hudson on Saturday and returns home for a Wisconsin Valley Conference game Monday against D.C. Everest.
“This is the first time we’ve been on a field in two weeks,” Voss said. “It’s really hard to make corrections when you are in the fieldhouse or on black top, and we’re hitting off pitching machines all the time. Now that we can get outside, and actually get on a field, it’s going to make a big difference. We have all the potential in the world to compete and win games like this, but we just can’t afford to make the mistakes we made tonight.”
Lumberjacks 12, Tigers 8
Wausau East 002 034 3 – 12 12 4
Marshfield 220 031 0 – 8 10 6
WP: Emilie Waack. LP: Rhiannon Baierl.
SO: Waack 3; Baierl 1. BB: Waack 4; Baierl 3.
Top hitters: WE, Danielle Kostroski 2×5, 3 runs; Ashley Klatt 4×4, 3 RBIs; Paige Henrich 1×3, 2 runs, RBI; Waack 1×4, 2B, RBI; Alexa Wendt 1×4, 2B, 2 RBIs; Michaela Scheintz 1×4, 2B, 2 runs; Brianna Borchardt 1×2, 3 runs, RBI. M, Baierl 3×4, 2B, RBI; Autumn Slowiak 3 runs; Sara Sturomski 1×4, 2B; Kristin Kniech 1×2, RBI; Taylor Hasz 2×2, run; Katie Treankler 1×4, 2 runs, RBI.
Records: Wausau East 1-5, 1-2 Wisconsin Valley Conference; Marshfield 1-3, 0-3 WVC.