By Kevin Cunningham
Correspondent
The Delavan-Darien High School softball team was 13-0 on the season before losing two straight games two weeks ago. This past week, the Comets played three more games and in the first, against Wilmot, lost another, 7-4.
Wilmot got its offense going to open the game with two runs in the top of the first inning. Delavan-Darien got the game tied in the bottom of the third with two runs of its own, but then Wilmot scored three in the top of the fourth, never surrendering the lead again.
Wilmot totaled 12 hits in the game compared to the Comets’ seven. Jennah Speth was the sparkplug offensively for the team with three RBIs while going 3-for-3 at the plate.
Speth also took the loss as the pitcher though, allowing seven runs with four being earned, over her seven innings pitched. She struck out 11 batters in the game as well.
The loss meant the Comets had lost three straight games since its 13-0 start but got to turn things around against Elkhorn just two days later.
Despite being on the road, the team jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning and held the lead throughout the game, eventually winning 3-1. Speth took the mound again in the game and allowed just one hit over her seven innings pitched.
She recorded 12 strikeouts in this one, striking out eight different Elkhorn hitters. Speth also recorded an RBI and went 2-for-3 offensively. Taylor McKinney had a game-high two RBIs for the Comets.
One day later, on May 6, the team scored nine runs against Burlington at home but it wasn’t enough to get the victory. It took eight innings, but Burlington scored 10 runs in total, with four coming in the top of the seventh and another in the eighth to seal the win.
The Comets held an 8-6 lead entering the seventh inning and made it go to extra innings by scoring two in the bottom of that inning. Despite the statistical struggles, both teams’ pitchers pitched all eight innings.
Offensively for the Comets, four different players had two-hit games. Six different players scored. The team is now 14-4 overall heading into its final five games of the season.
Delavan-Darien was scheduled to play against Burlington on the road Monday. The team faced Badger Tuesday and Union Grove on Wednesday before its final game of the week against Waterford.
The Waterford game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Thursday at Waterford High School. This will cap four games in four days for the team, leading to its final game of the regular season against Westosha Central at 5 p.m. Tuesday at West Park in Darien.
