(Atlantic) The Atlantic softball team put it all together on Thursday night, resulting in a 13-1 win over Denison-Schleswig.
Zoey Kirchhoff pitched a gem, allowing one run on six hits and retiring the final thirteen straight hitters to seal the deal for Atlantic. The sophomore pitcher struck out seven hitters with no walks, and the defense did not commit an error. The Trojans scored 13 runs on 13 hits.
Atlantic’s impressive performance followed a 6-3 loss to Missouri Valley on Wednesday.
“The girls did a great job,” said Atlantic Head Coach Terry Hinzmann. “We did not play the best against Missouri Valley on Wednesday. We made little mistakes that turned into two and three runs and lost 6-3. I challenged the team to clean those things up, and we would be fine.
“They responded by playing errorless ball, and it also helps when Zoey hits her spots as she did; her off-speed pitches were precisely where she wanted them to be, and the Denison-Schleswig hitters could not catch up to them, which made a huge difference in the game.”
Atlantic jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Claire Pellett drew a lead-off walk, Riley Wood laid down a perfect bunt, and Lila Wiederstein stroked an RBI single to kickstart the Trojans’ offense. Wood and Wiederstein added to the scoring, and the Trojans never trailed in the seven-inning contest. The Monarchs rattled the bats early in the contest with one run on six hits but failed to take advantage before Kirchhoff settled in and shot down thirteen straight hitters.
Adler Bruce and Claire Pellett drilled singles, and Mckenna Schroeder laced a double in the top of the fourth, yielding two more runs and extending the lead to 5-1. Lila Wiederstein and Kirchhoff guided the offense with two singles in the fifth, yielding two more runs and a 7-1 lead. Wood, Wiederstein, and Kirchhoff drilled base knocks in the top of the sixth, adding two more runs punching the lead to 9-1. Atlantic put extra padding on the lead with four more runs in the top of the seventh, and Kirchhoff polished off the contest, retiring the final three Monarh batters.
Makenna Schroeder and Riley Wood led the Trojans, each belting a double and two singles; Kirchoff and Wiederstein each had two hit nights, and Claire Pellett, Claire Schroder, and Adler Bruce smacked one hit a piece.
For Denison-Schleswig, Mayah Slater went 2-3 at the plate with a double and a single, and Norah Huebert, Ann Wessell, and Lauren Herrig each stroked singles.
Atlantic (2-1) hosts Ballard on Friday. The Monarchs (0-2) take a road trip to Glenwood on May 28.
