By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
The Badger High School softball team split a double header at Milton on Saturday earning its first victory of the season.
Badger (1-2) won the first game 5-3 but Milton (2-3) came back to win the nightcap 10-9.
Badger took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of Game One. Paige Stan and Frankie Bobula both singled and stole second and third. A sacrifice fly by Alicia Nielsen brought Stan home with the game’s first run.
Milton took the lead with single runs in the third and fourth innings. Badger scored twice in the top of the fifth on RBI doubles by Jamie Mikrut and Kiley Johnson scoring Bobula and Mikrut. Milton tied the score at three in the bottom of the sixth.
In the top of the seventh, Bobula singled and stole second on a pick-off attempt. She then stole third before scoring on Mikrut’s RBI double. Shannon Geaslin came in to run for Mikrut and stole third. Johnson flied out to right scoring Geaslin. Badger held Milton scoreless in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win.
Molly Schumacher got the win pitching seven strong innings. Milton’s Courtney Terrill struck out 11 Badgers but was tagged with the loss. She pitched seven innings, walked five, gave up 11 hits, and five earned runs. Terrill also went two for four at the plate. Madeline McCue went two for four with a run scored and an RBI. Taylor Egger went two for three with a double.
Milton jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning of Game Two but the Badgers scored six in the next two innings to lead 6-4. Geaslin and Megan Batz had RBI singles in the second inning.
Badger loaded the bases in the third inning on a single by Lily Quinn and two bunt singles by Tara Baker and Stan. Bobula singled, driving in Quinn and Baker, and Mikrut singled, bringing in Stan. Johnson used a sacrifice fly to score Bobula from third and Badger led 6-4.
Milton plated five in the fifth to re-take the lead and added a single run in the sixth. Down 10-6 going into the seventh inning, the Badgers got it close with three runs but could not tie it.
In the seventh, Stan singled with one out and Bobula doubled. Mikrut reached on an error. Johnson reached on an infield single that scored Stan. Bobula scored on a throwing error on the play. An RBI single by Ashley Sanew brought the Badgers within one. Geaslin singled to load the bases with one out, but Batz hit into a fielder’s choice with the out at home. Quinn ripped one down the right field line that would have scored at least two runs but it landed just foul. Quinn struck out on the next pitch ending the game.
Schumacher pitched the first two innings and Sanew went the rest of the way for Badger. Kayla Negus got the win for Milton despite giving up 17 hits and eight earned runs over seven innings. Egger went two for three with two RBIs and a run scored. Niki Kneiert went two for four with an RBI and two runs scored.
Coach Glen York said his team hit better than it has in a long time and the team played well in extremely cold conditions.
The Badgers were scheduled to play at Burlington on Tuesday.
