The Waverly Shell-Rock softball team competed at the Don Bosco Annual Softball tournament on Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28. The Go-Hawks finished the tournament with a 3-1 record, including a win against a ranked opponent.
Go-Hawks drop game one to West Marshall
The Go-Hawks would start their tournament with a walkoff loss to a very good West Marshall team. The two teams played a fantastic, back-and-forth game that was close to heading into extra innings.
The two teams spent a majority of the matchup tied. After two scoreless innings to start the game, both teams would score a pair of runs each in the third inning to make the score 2-2. The Go-Hawks would take the lead in the fourth with another run in the top half of the inning and a shutout in the bottom half. That lead would last just one inning though, as West Marshall would tie the game once again with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The two teams would keep each other off the board in the sixth inning to keep the score tied heading into the seventh. As something had to give, the Trojans took their first lead of the game to win the game 4-3.
Harper Morrison led the way for the Go-Hawks on both offense and defense. On the mound, Morrison finished with 14 strikeouts and four earned runs in six and one-third innings. At the plate, Morrison led the team with two hits and one RBI.
It was a heartbreakingly close loss for the Go-Hawks, but was certainly not a tone-setter for the rest of the tournament.
Go-Hawks win in extra innings against Maquoketa
After losing by one run in their first game, the Go-Hawks would grab a one-run win of their own in their second game of the tournament. The Go-Hawks took on Maquoketa, building an early lead that would be quickly taken away.
In the second and third innings, the Go-Hawks would finish with a pair of runs to put themselves up 2-0. In the bottom of the third, however, that lead would come undone, as the Cardinals responded with three runs of their own.
The Go-Hawks would tie the game in the top of the sixth 3-3, and a scoreless seventh inning would put the game into extra innings. In the top of the eighth, the Go-Hawks would take the lead once again thanks to an RBI from Kaelyn Kampman, setting up Harper Morrison to pick up the win by keeping the Cardinals off the board in the bottom of the eighth. Final score: 4-3.
Megan Heyer and Natalie Beck both finished the game batting 2-for-4 to lead the Go-Hawks. Heyer’s smacked a single and a double, and Beck finished with one single and one triple. Kampman led the team with two RBIs in the game, including the game-winner in the bottom of the eighth.
Go-Hawks handle Waterloo Columbus to start day two
The Go-Hawks kept things going on day two of the tournament by picking up a 7-3 win against Waterloo Columbus in five innings. Harper Morrison once again shined on the mound for the Go-Hawks in the shortened game.
In four and one-third innings, Morrison racked up an incredible 12 strikeouts. Morrison also allowed just one earned run, two hits, and walked one batter during the game.
The Go-Hawks also took care of business on the offensive end. As a team, they finished with 10 hits and three walks in the game. Brittney Bodensteiner, Kampman, and Emma Smith each finished with two hits a piece, with Bodensteiner securing the lone extra base hit for the Go-Hawks with a triple. Heyer also led the team in the game with three RBIs.
Go-Hawks defeat No. 15 Kee
In their final game of the tournament, the Go-Hawks defeated the No. 15 ranked team in class 1A, Kee. It was another impressive outing for the Go-Hawks, as they were able to keep the ranked opponent off the scoreboard and win 5-0.
For one last time during the tournament, Morrison turned in an incredible game on the mound. Morrison struckout eight batters and allowed just one hit in a complete game shutout. That performance allowed Morrison to finish with 37 strikeouts and five earned runs in 19 and two-thirds innings pitched across the Go-Hawks’ four tournament games.
Morrison, along with Smith and Kampman, also finished the final game of the tournament with two hits, including one double and two RBIs.
Across those four tournament games, the Go-Hawks outscored their opponents 19-10. Their three wins also give the Go-Hawks a record of 12-1 over their last 13 games.
The Go-Hawks will be back in action in an area matchup against Clarksville. That game will be played on Tuesday, July 1 beginning at 6:45 p.m.