Softball falls to Brodhead in hard-fought 5-3 loss
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
A mini four-game losing streak became a thing of the past for the Big Foot baseball team Tuesday afternoon.
And it took an old-fashioned slugfest to do the trick.
The Chiefs held a 9-2 lead after four innings, and then held off a furious Brodhead rally for an 11-9 Rock Valley Conference victory. Big Foot improved to 3-8 overall 3-4 in the RVC with the win.
Big Foot, which took a 5-0 lead after two innings, was led by Chandler Hehr, Alex Landers and Foster Isham, each with two hits. Hehr also scored twice and drove in one, while Landers had three runs scored and two RBI and Isham had two RBI.
Hehr picked up the win, as he worked four innings, and allowed four hits, three walks and struck out five before he gave way to the trio of Brendan Kelly, Landers and Zak Greco the next three innings.
Those three combined to allow three hits, four earned runs, six walks and struck out four.
The win Tuesday came on the heels of a 2-1 non-conference setback April 25 at Badger.
After the host Badgers took a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first inning, the Chiefs knotted the score in the second on an RBI hit by Connor McCarthy.
But Badger responded in the bottom of the second to break the tie and held on from there.
Big Foot managed just five hits, including two by Isham and one each by McCarthy, Hehr and Brandon Hausner.
Hehr pitched the first 3 1-3 innings, and allowed four this, one earned run, a walk and stuck out four. Isham worked the last 2 2-3 innings, and allowed two hits and struck out two.
Big Foot opened the week with a 7-3 RVC setback April 23 at Edgerton.
The game was knotted at 3-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning when the Tide took control. Edgerton broke the deadlock with three runs in the fifth and added an insurance run in the sixth to put the game out of reach.
Jack Senft led the way with three hits and two runs scored, followed by Greco with two hits and an RBI and Landers with a hit, a run scored and an RBI. Hausner, Isham and Kelley each chipped in with a hit for the Chiefs.
Schauf took the loss, as he pitched five innings, and allowed three earned runs, four walks and struck out two. Senft allowed a hit and an earned run in one inning of relief work.
The Chiefs hosted Brodhead Thursday afternoon and travel to Evansville next Monday and Palmyra-Eagle next Tuesday for a pair of RVC matchups.
Softball splits two
The Big Foot softball team dropped a hard-fought 5-3 RVC decision Tuesday at Brodhead to fall to 6-4 overall and 6-4 in conference play.
Statistics from that contest were unavailable at press time.
Earlier in the week, the Big Foot squad outlasted host Edgerton 13-9. The Chiefs trailed 6-3 after four innings but scored four runs in both the fifth and sixth and two more in the seventh.
Riley Davis led the offense with three hits, three runs scored and three RBI, followed by Camryn Horton with two hits and three RBI. Other offensive leaders were Sam Hartwig with two hits and a run scored, Katie Santeler with two hits, two runs scored and an RBI, Olivia Briggs with two hits and two runs scored, Morgan Stalker with two hits, two runs scored and an RBI and Courtney Schoenbeck with two hits, two runs and two RBI.
Stalker worked three innings, and allowed six hits, four earned runs, two walks and struck out one, while Davis pitched four innings, and allowed six hits five earned runs, two walks and struck out three.
Big Foot hosted Brodhead Thursday and travels to Evansville and Palmyra-Eagle next Monday and Tuesday afternoon.
