Regis knocks Colfax out of softball regional
EAU CLAIRE — There are no second chances come tournament time.
Just ask the Colfax softball squad.
Three first-inning errors by the Vikings led to five unearned runs for the Eau Claire Regis Ramblers.
The Vikings never really recovered as they fell 12-2 in five innings to the host Ramblers in last Wednesday’s early afternoon WIAA Division 4 regional semifinal contest played at Carson Park’s Gelein Field. It was the opening game for both teams as third-seeded Regis and Colfax, the sixth seed, both received byes in the previous day’s quarterfinal round.
The loss ended Colfax’s 2018 season as the Vikings finished with a 7-10 overall record.
“Unfortunately, we did not play up to our potential in this last game,” said Vikings’ head coach John Dickinsen. “We had too many errors on the day and we didn’t get the ball put into play as often as we needed.”
Dickinsen credited all-conference pitcher Jozie Buchanan with throwing a good game but said the Vikings struggled to support her at the plate and in the field. Colfax finished with five errors.
Buchanan started the contest and went four innings. She faced 23 batters allowing five hits, three walks and nine runs, only two of which were earned, to suffer the loss. Senior Tamara Huffman came on to relieve Buchanan in the fifth and allowed Regis its final three runs.
Colfax errors along with a double by Samantha Wackwitz allowed the Ramblers to take a 5-0 lead after the first inning of play.
Eau Claire Regis added two more scores in the second, highlighted by Audrey Newby’s double, for a 7-0 advantage.
Colfax finally got on the scoreboard in the third when senior Amanda Christianson led off with a walk and scored on Tamara Huffman’s sizzling double to the center-field gap with no outs. Unfortunately, Colfax was unable to bring Huffman home as the next three batters were put out, two on strike outs and the other on a ground out to second.
Regis scored twice in the fourth for a 9-1 lead.
Colfax took back a run in the fifth when Huffman and Bailey Bradford stroked back-to-back, one-out singles. Huffman would eventually score to make it 9-2.
But the Ramblers scored three times in the bottom of the fifth to bring the game to an end.
Both teams finished with five hits.
Huffman went 2-for-2 including that double and an RBI to lead the Vikings. Teammates Bradford, Kameri Meredith and Makayla Mattson each tallied a hit.
“I am very proud of how we came together as a team this year,” stated Coach Dickinsen. “We worked hard together and had a good time doing it.”
“We will definitely miss our seniors, Amanda Christianson, Emily Evenson, Tamara Huffmanm Becca Lee, Makayla Mattson and Mckayla Moore,” Dickinsen concluded.