Softball: Newman battles late but drops second straight game to Kewanee

STERLING – After giving up 11 runs in Kewanee on Monday, the Newman Comets played a pretty clean defensive game Thursday evening in their home rematch with the undefeated Boilermakers.

But once again, their offense couldn’t get much going, especially against starting freshman pitcher Kalleigh Gale.

Failing to a score a run until the sixth inning – and leaving runners stranded on base on multiple occasions – the Comets lost 3-1.

[ Photos from Newman vs. Kewanee softball ]

“We played them, obviously, on Monday, and we had a really tough game. And we came out today as a whole different team with a whole different mentality, and we really showed that,” Newman junior pitcher Ady Waldschmidt said. “Of course, it was a close game, the only difference I believe is that they had a couple timely hits, and we just didn’t. We had multiple girls on, and we just left them. And that happens. It was just a matter of a couple timely hits.”

Kewanee took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when a Tori Dennison groundout scored McKensey Stontz.

The Boilermakers threatened to score again in the top of the third – with two outs and the bases loaded – but a nice field and throw by Addison Foster put the runner out at first, and Kewanee’s lead remained 1-0 for another inning.

In the bottom of the third, Newman’s Sophia Ely singled to left as the leadoff, and Waldschmidt followed with a two-out double to left on a 1-2 count to get runners on second and third. But the Comets flew out in their next at-bat, coming up empty.

In the top of the fourth, Kewanee’s Ava LaFollette smacked a single past second base as the leadoff; Hope Peed then singled between second and short, and Lexi Dillender singled to load the bases. Up next, Hannah Tiska hit a two-run single just beyond the reach of the diving first baseman, scoring Peed and LaFollette for a 3-0 lead.

“I felt more confident because to have that extra cushion behind you when you go back out in the circle, it’s much appreciated, and you feel better as a pitcher,” Gale said. “I felt less stressed, I felt like I can settle in and I can just finish it out.”

In the top of the fourth, Newman stranded a runner on second, and in top of the fifth, it stranded runners on first and second.

“In the circle, my rise ball was definitely working,” said Gale, who pitched five shutout innings. “And I just knew I needed to keep it away from the batters, so they wouldn’t be able to hit it.”

In the bottom of the sixth, Newman’s Jess Johns flew a one-out double deep into left field, then scored from second on a two-out Amiya Rodriguez bloop single to center field. But reliever Makaela Salisbury struck out the next batter, and Newman’s deficit remained 3-1 entering the seventh.

In the top of the seventh, Gale led off with a single to right, then Stontz flew out. LaFollette flew out next, and Lucy Oetting threw out Gale to turn the double play.

Salisbury worked a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh to seal the Kewanee win.

Waldschmidt and Johns each went 2 for 3 with a double. Waldschmidt pitched a complete game, allowing nine hits and two earned runs, striking out four and walking two. She worked 1-2-3 innings in the first and seventh.

“We played them on Monday, and we basically played the worst we’ve played all season. And that’s no discredit to Kewanee, they just kicked our butt,” Newman coach JD Waldschmidt said. “We weren’t into the game, we didn’t have the best warm-up. I’m an old coach, but oftentimes you play like you warm up. It’s the old saying, ‘You practice like you play.’ Our approach wasn’t good on Monday. I believe we had three errors in the bottom of the first, and then we just crumbled.

“But we had two great practices, probably the two best of the season Tuesday and Wednesday. Today, we couldn’t come up with a hit when we needed it. I’m not sure how many baserunners we left on base, but it was probably seven or eight. But I would say Kewanee left just a few less and got those two extra timely hits. That’s a good team, they haven’t lost.”

Gale went 2 for 4 and Peed went 2 for 3 as the leading Kewanee hitters. Gale lasted five innings in the circle, allowing six hits and zero runs, and striking out five without a walk.

Salisbury threw two innings of relief, allowing two hits and one run, and striking out two without a walk.