By Kevin Cunningham
Correspondent
Delavan-Darien High School’s softball coach Hank Johnson knew it would be a tough week for the Comets last week. His group was 13-0 overall in 2016 heading into last week and the team was set to face Union Grove and Westosha Central.
Union Grove and Westosha Central are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the state in Division 1. Delavan-Darien is ranked No. 2 in the state for Division 2.
In the first game, against Westosha Central on April 25 on the road, the team’s offense couldn’t score a run and Jennah Speth allowed five runs in a 5-0 defeat. The game was scoreless after four innings, but in the fifth, Westosha Central scored four runs, and then one more in the sixth.
Westosha Central had eight hits in the game compared to the Comets’ one, according to wissports.com. A day later, on April 26, the team faced Union Grove at home.
Despite the home-field advantage, the Comets’ pitching and defense couldn’t keep Union Grove’s offense contained, eventually allowing nine runs in a 9-2 loss. The Comets held the lead in this game after the first inning, 1-0, but Union Grove evened the game in the second inning.
From that point on, Union Grove went on to score in every inning other than the sixth. Speth pitched the game and despite giving up nine runs, three were earned. She struck out 10 batters and walked three.
As a team, the Comets were tallied for seven errors throughout the game. Union Grove had nine hits compared to four for Delavan-Darien. Hunter Huber had the team’s only two RBIs while going 2-for-2 at the plate.
The team was scheduled to face Union Grove on Friday this time at home, but the game was postponed because of weather. The Comets were also supposed to face Burlington on April 27, but that game got rescheduled for Friday.
Delavan-Darien’s was scheduled to play Wilmot on Tuesday. After Wilmot Union, the 13-2 Comets are set to face Elkhorn at 5 p.m. Thursday at Elkhorn.
