Lady Bulldogs suffer softball setbacks

BOYCEVILLE  — Boyceville’s softball team suffered a pair of close conference loses at home last week as it slipped to 1-4 and last place in the large Dunn-St. Croix standings.

The Bulldogs, currently 4-5 overall, seven-run, seventh inning rally fell one run short last Thursday night, April 21 at Pafko Memorial Park as they lost 8-7 to the visiting Pepin/Alma Eagles after trailing 8-0 entering their final at-bat.

That heartbreaker came on the heals of a 6-1 home loss to Durand on Monday, April 18.

The two setbacks were Boyceville’s fifth in the last seven games on the softball field.

The Bulldogs will try to get back on track this week as they play three games including two home games. After this past Monday’s (April 25) contest at home against Mondovi was postponed by weather, Boyceville welcomed Cameron yesterday (April 26) for a non-conference match before hitting the road to play in Plum City Thursday. Boyceville will return home to Pafko to host the Colfax Vikings next Monday, May 2.

Pepin/Alma

Eagles pitcher Erin Seifert held Boyceville in check for most of the game. Seifert had allowed the Bulldogs just three hits and a walk while retiring 17 of the 21 batters she had faced through the first six innings of the April 21 game at Pafko Memorial Park.

Singles by Maddy Bygd and Katie Kegen along with a walk to Bygd was the Pepin/Alma hurlers only misques.

But that changed at the bottom of the seventh.

Down to its final three outs and trailing by eight runs, Boyceville’s offense finally exploded. The Bulldogs collected six of its eight games hits and all seven of its runs in that final half inning only to see its rally come up a run short of forcing extra innings in an 8-7 loss.

Katie Kegen opened the Bulldogs’ seventh by drawing a walk. Morgan Kuhn and McKenna Weber laced back-to-back singles. Kegen scored the Bulldogs first run on Weber’s hit. An Eagles’ overthrow to third base allowed Kuhn to score a second Boyceville run.

Kylie Krueger grounded out to short, but Rylie Andrews and Kayla Hoff singled  to score Weber. Jenna Beyrer reached on a fielder’s choice as all runners were safe to load the bases for Maddy Bygd.

Bygd delivered a double  that brought in three more runs to make it an 8-6 game.

Madysn Riek followed with a single to bring home Bygd.

Katie Kegen drew her second walk of the inning to put a pair of Boyceville runners on base.

But Seifert got Kuhn to ground out to second and Weber to pop out to third to end the threat and the game.

Seifert took the win as she surrendered seven runs on nine hits and walk three with two strike outs. Katie Kegen suffered the loss for Boyceville after giving up eight runs on 11 hits and two walks in seven innings of work on the mound.

Bygd and Andrews each tallied a pair of hits. Bygd’s seventh-inning double accounted all three of her RBIs.

The scored six of their eight runs in the fourth inning after lead just 1-0 heading into that inning. Pepin/Alma picked up five hits in the six-run fourth including decisive back-to-back doubles by Megan Reinhardt and Rachel Seifert. The Eagles picked up their winning run in the top of the seventh when Maya Smith singles and came around to score.

Durand

A three-run fifth inning and a two-run sixth coupled a two-hit pitching performance by the Panthers’ Joselyn Hurburt proved to be the difference in Durand’s 6 to 1 seventh-inning victory at Pafko Park April 18.

Hurburt protected the slim 1-0 advantage that Durand took with a run in the top of the third until the offense could get on track which it did in both the fifth and sixth innings. She finished with the win after giving up just a pair of hits and walks and a run while striking out five.

While Boyceville was having trouble hitting the ball, Durand collected eight hits off of Bulldogs’ starter Katie Kegen, who went all seven innings in the loss.

Boyceville’s defense did not give Kegen much help either as it committed six errors in the game.

Kelci Brion and Afton Moline each had a pair of hits for Durand. Brion had two RBIs and Moline scored a run.

Kegen and Peyton Hellmann had Boyceville’s only hits – both singles. Madysn Riek scored Boyceville’s lone run in the bottom of the seventh to break up the shut out.