Boyceville, GC split season softball series

By Cara L. Dempski

GLENWOOD CITY — A betting person might not have put money on Glenwood City coming from behind to beat Boyceville in their first game this season.

Maybe the Lady Hilltoppers gained a little confidence in the three-week break between the fifth and sixth innings.

Despite yet more rain, the Bulldogs traveled to Hilltopper country last Tuesday, May 16 to play the final two innings of their April 25 contest, which the Boyceville team led 8-5 after five innings, before playing an away game against the Toppers immediately following.

Glenwood City drove home six runners in the final two innings including five in the seventh frame to take the 11-8 win, before Boyceville came back to win the second contest,  9-7, in nine innings.

If the weather was uncooperative April 25, it was doubly so May 16.

The Bulldogs and Hilltoppers were set to play out the final two innings of their April 25 game, which was suspended after five due to rain, and got a few good plays in before being forced to take cover inside Glenwood City High School due to heavy rain, lightning and thunder.

When the teams could take the field again, the Toppers managed to mitigate the Lady Bulldogs’ offensive play while finding ways around their defense.

Jenesa Klinger scored in the top of the sixth to narrow the Boyceville squad’s lead to 8-6 before Brooke Wickman took the third out to send the Bulldogs up to bat.

Glenwood City kept the Boyceville ladies from scoring, which took the Toppers into the seventh, where Mariah Voeltz, Klinger, Natalie Gabbert, Morgan Peterson and Briana Barstad all scored to give the Hilltoppers an 11-8 lead.

Boyceville’s Madysn Riek, Kayla Hoff and Marissa Dormanen all stepped up to battle Glenwood City hurler Maggie Wallin. Riek took an out heading from second to third, Hoff was tagged out by Gabbert, and Dormanen struck out swinging to end the game.

“When we got rolling, it was a great comeback,” Glenwood coach Pete Gaustad said. “The girls showed their resilience, and I couldn’t have been more proud of them.”

Gabbert led the Glenwood girls’ offensively in the first game, accounting for four of the team’s total nine RBIs, and driving home Voeltz and Klinger in the seventh with a home run. Wickman logged a pair of runs batted in and a double, while Wallin, Voeltz and Klinger all accounted for one RBI apiece.

Riek led the Boyceville squad with a pair of RBIs and a double, While Weber and Amber Retzloff each batted in two runners. Weber clocked a home run, Dormanen logged an RBI and a double, and Brooklyn Dormanen recorded a double.

Glenwood City outhit Boyceville 11-5 in the first contest.

Wallin took the game win with four hits, eight runs, and one strike-out to her credit in seven innings’ work. Boyceville pitcher Tyra Kostman allowed 12 hits, 11 runs, and struck out three in the Bulldog loss.

After a short break due to a severe storm warnings and more lightning and thunder in the neighborhood, the Toppers and Bulldogs got their second game of 2017 underway.

Another heavy downpour sent both teams scrambling for their dugouts in the second inning with the game tied 1-1, but play resumed within 10 minutes.

The Bulldogs were able to put a second run on the board before getting their third out of the inning, but kept the Hilltoppers from scoring to carry a 2-1 lead into the third.

The Boyceville ladies increased their lead to 3-1 in the top half of the inning when Tyra Kostman batted around Hellmann, but the Hilltoppers were quick to respond in the bottom of the third with a pair of runs from Gabbert and Wallin to knot the score at 3.

No one scored again until the Bulldogs put up a pair of runs in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead on a two-run homer off the bat of heavy-swinging Marissa Dormanen with Riek standing on base. 

The Hilltoppers responded an inning later, sending Gabbert, Barstad and Allexys Curvello home to take a 6-5 lead into the seventh.

Briana Barstad opened the inning with a walk and Allexys Curvello reached on an error. Gabbert then singled and a Boyceville error allowed two Topper runs to score. Gabbert stole third and home to put GC ahead 6-5.

Boyceville tied the game at six when Hellmann scored on a Tyra Kostman single before again keeping the Glenwood team from scoring to force extra innings.

Neither team could get home in the eighth, but Boyceville girls sent Morgan Kuhn, Hellmann and Riek home in the top of the ninth to take a 9-6 lead. The Bulldogs’ opened their ninth with four straight hits including a double off the bat of Riek.

The Hilltoppers attempted a late-game rally, and Hill crossed the plate to make the score 9-7 with only one out, but the Lady Dogs were able to get two more outs to end the game on top.

Dormanen was Boyceville’s offensive leader in the second game, with a home run and three RBIs. Riek logged a pair of runs batted in and a pair of doubles, Tyra Kostman sent home two runners, and Amber Retzloff recorded a double.

Gabbert led the Hilltopper offense with a trio of RBIs and a home run. Wallin logged a double and a run batted in offensively, and took the 9-7 loss after pitching nine innings and allowing 10 hits, nine runs, and three walks. She struck out eight.

Kostman took the win for her team after going all nine innings where she allowed nine hits, seven runs, seven walks, and struck out eight.

Wallin also threw all nine innings surrendering all 12 hits and nine runs and finished with eight strike outs in the loss.

GLENWOOD CITY 11, BOYCEVILLE 8
Glenwood City………1  2  0  2  0  1  5 — 11
Boyceville……………..0  4  2  2  0  0  0 — 8

BOYCEVILLE 9, GLENWOOD CITY 7
Boyceville………..1  1  1  0  2  0  1  0  3 — 9
Glenwood City….1  0  2  0  0  3  0  0  1 — 7