Lena/STAA baseball, softball teams down Bowler

The Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas Academy baseball and softball teams both earned nonconference wins over Bowler on May 4 in Bowler.

The co-op baseball team won 8-2, while the softball team claimed a 24-12 victory in five innings.

Baseball

Lena/STAA got a strong start on the mound from Ethan Russell before a four-run seventh inning helped the team seal up a road victory.

Russell pitched the first 5 2/3 innings, striking out eight batters and not allowing a run. He worked around four walks and four hits.

Lane Whiting then got the next three outs, surrendering a pair of runs along the way, but Lucas Hofer was able to get the final out in the seventh to wrap up the contest.

“Tonight our pitchers definitely threw a really good game,” said Lena/STAA’s Logan Shallow, who drove in two runs. “Our guys threw amazing, and without their efforts, this game would have been closer.”

Whiting led the team at the plate with three RBIs, including a clutch hit in the seventh inning.

Russell led off for the co-op and set the table for the rest of the lineup by getting on base four times. Russell doubled twice and scored four runs in the contest.

Logan Graef, Shallow, Whiting and Bryce Kittredge all scored once for the visitors.

Bowler’s Logan Thiex was handed the loss after allowing two unearned runs across the first three innings. He struck out five batters in his time on the mound.

Lane Schultz then surrendered two runs across three innings before Ashwuut Mohawk and Beau Brunner teamed up to pitch the seventh.

Bowler was limited to just four hits in the entire game, with Schultz, Thiex, Brock Strassburg and Wylee Dodge having the hits. Strassburg and Gavin Klose each drove in a run in the seventh, scoring Schultz and pinch-runner Karter Kolpack.

“They pitched well. They were hitting spots, changing speeds and changing eye levels,” said Thiex of Lena/STAA’s pitchers. “We were watching the ball good but hits were going to right to defenders, and when we had chances to score, we couldn’t capitalize. It happens.”

Softball

The softball game was a wild back-and-forth slugfest in the first couple innings before the teams were able to settle in.

Lena/STAA jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Bowler put up seven runs in the bottom of the first. The co-op answered back with six runs in its half of the second, only to have Bowler score twice in the bottom half to retake the lead.

The visitors took control after scoring 11 times in the third inning and then held Bowler to just one run in the bottom half. An additional four runs in the fourth and one more in the fifth helped Lena/STAA out to a 14-run lead, and then the co-op was able to hold Bowler to two runs in the fifth to end the contest.

Lena/STAA was credited with 12 hits in the game, but they also took advantage of 12 walks and nine Bowler errors.

Katie Jo Knox led off for the co-op and ended up scoring four runs after reaching base five times. Chaela Rabas also scored four runs. Lena/STAA had its No. 8 and 9 positions in the lineup combine to get on base eight times and score seven runs.

Leah Dean drove in five runs for the visitors, while Knox had four RBIs.

Knox also pitched all five innings, striking out six batters along the way. She and her defense stranded 12 Bowler runners on base.

“We were so hyped for each other. We have a great team here. We all hype each other up, and the energy is so cool to see,” said Lena/STAA’s Brooke Kramer, who drove in two runs on three hits.

“When we get that many runs, which is something that hasn’t happened in a long time for our team, we get really, really excited and we want to keep doing that.”

On the Bowler side, Brandi Spencer and McKayla Putnam each drove in two runs to lead the team at the plate. Spencer, Morgan Paiser and Weengeetah Mohawk all scored twice. Mohawk homered in the fifth inning.

The Panthers drew 16 walks in the game, but were unable to capitalize much after the second inning.

“After the first and second inning, I feel like we all got in our heads,” said Paiser. “We made a lot of mental errors that could have easily been prevented.”

Putnam pitched the full game for Bowler. She struck out seven batters.

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