The rain held off long enough Tuesday night, for the South Winn softball team (11-16) to host Postville (0-14) at home in their first playoff contest. The high stakes game went into an extra inning, but the Warriors were able to clinch the game in the eighth, walking away with a 3-2 win.
The start of the game set the stakes high, with Pirates scoring early in the first off an error from the Warriors’ defense. South Winn pitcher Morgan Kleve put an end to any other runs when she threw one of the many strikeouts she’d pitch that night to get the Warriors up to bat.
The Warriors didn’t get their chance to respond until the bottom of the second, when Ruthie Frana was hit by a pitch to make it to first. Senior Emma Houdek hit a sac fly that was able to get Frana all the way to third, where she was able to steal home off an error to tie the game up, 1-1.
SW pulled ahead in the third, when R. Frana once again was able to make it to home off a double, a steal, and a hit from Alison Heying.
Both teams upped the defense after that, hardly letting either line-up stay up at the plate for long. The Pirates eventually found an opening in the seventh. With help from a ground rule double, they got another run in, tying the score up once again, 2-2. Postville had three on base and were primed to plate another.
That is, until the Warrior infield caught a fly ball and the Pirate runners stalled over some confusion in the field. The Warriors took their chance and hurled the ball over to second and then third, for a triple play that would keep them in the game another inning.
The bottom of the eighth started with each team still on high alert. Warrior Morgan Kriener was able to hit a double, electrifying the crowd who seemed to know what was coming next. R. Frana was hit by another pitch, and Isabella Opperman was able to advance them both despite getting out at first. Houdek once again took the plate and was able to land a hit in the outfield, getting Kriener to home and winning the game for the Warriors, 3-2.
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The Warriors headed to the Class 2A Region 6 quarterfinal on Wednesday, July 7 and played No. 2 North Linn. If they won on Wednesday, their next game will be Friday, July 9, against the winner of the Jesup and Osage match-up at North Linn at 7 p.m.
R H E
Postville 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 x x
S. Winn 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 x x
Stats not available at press time.
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