By Dan Truttschel
Sports correspondent
The young Big Foot High School softball team gave a top-10 team in the state all it wanted last Tuesday night.
But in the end, the Chiefs couldn’t find a solution to Beloit Turner junior pitcher Kalyn Packard.
“I thought we competed in the field and made plays in the field. I’m very happy with our communication and knowing what we need to do. As far as offense, we just need to shorten up and put the ball in play a little better,” coach Michael Dowden said.
Packard fanned 18 batters, allowed just three walks and no hits to lead Turner to a 3-0 Rock Valley Conference victory.
The loss dropped the Chiefs to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the RVC. Turner entered the game ranked seventh in the latest wissports.net Division 2 poll.
Both teams battled to a scoreless tie through six innings before the Trojans scored twice in the top of the sixth inning. Turner added one more insurance run in the seventh to close out the scoring.
Big Foot’s Riley Davis took the complete-game loss, as she allowed three earned runs, a walk and struck out three.
Dowden said the team is learning to be confident “in ourselves on each play.”
Prior to Tuesday’s setback, the Chiefs posted a pair of comeback victories Saturday in a 5-4, 12-7 doubleheader sweep over visiting Clinton.
Big Foot trailed 4-2 in the opener, before it scored twice to knot things at 4-4. The Chiefs won the game in the seventh on a triple by Kaleigh Baxter, who led the way with two hits, two runs scored and an RBI.
“We were really impressed with their ability to come back in the first game. We were able to get out of a lot of fams and then were able to execute on the base paths in the sixth and seventh to win it,” Dowden said.
Yesenia Gonzalez added two hits, including a double, a run scored and two RBI for the Chiefs. Davis earned the win, as she worked seven innings, allowed one earned run, seven hits, five walks and struck out 13.
The Chiefs again had to rally to post the sweep.
Clinton led 6-4 before Big Foot answered with four runs in the top of the fourth inning, followed by four more in the sixth to ice the victory.
“It was good to see us get some runs and hits in the second game, and for us to experience some success overall,” Dowden said.
Leaders were Lauren Paulsen (two hits, three runs, RBI), Gonzalez (two hits, three runs, RBI, double), Davis (two hits, two runs, four RBI, double), Sophia Trajkovich (two hits, run, four RBI, two doubles) and Paulsen (hit, run scored, RBI).
Riley Alness pitched the first 2-1/3 innings, and allowed four hits, three earned runs and struck out two. Davis earned the win in relief, as she allowed two hits, four walks, an earned run and struck out six in 4-2/3 innings.
Big Foot was back in action last Thursday at Turner. The Chiefs host Whitewater Tuesday, April 18, at 4:30 p.m.
