CG-B softball drops opening doubleheader

Down, 6-2, entering its half of the seventh inning, things weren’t looking good for Cedar Grove-Belgium’s softball team.

The first batter made an out. The Rockets needed four runs just to extend the second game of a doubleheader against Reedsville and were down to their final six strikes.

Then, things began to look up.

Lauren Holzberger clocked a double to left center.

After a second out, it was back to a grim outlook.

But Maria Dries doubled to left center to plate one run.

Emily Poull followed with a single to score Dries.

Olivia Piatek then singled, and Megan Gonwa did the same.

The pair both stole a base, and all of a sudden the tying runs were on base and in scoring position.

That’s when Reedsville stepped up, getting a strikeout to end the game.

Cedar Grove-Belgium coach Scott Soerens was proud of the effort.

“They just started to get in the groove. They started feeling comfortable at the plate. They started to string it together,” he said. 

“Unfortunately, it was just a little too late.”

The Rockets scored one run in each the third and fourth innings. Dries scored Holzberger on a double in the third, and Allison Niebauer knocked in Gonwa with a single in the fourth.

Reedsville scored four runs in the third inning.

“They just kind of strung (hits) together there,” Soerens said.

Dries ended with two doubles and a walk. Holzberger had a double, single and a walk, and Piatek had two hits.

Pitcher Anna Thiele went the distance, allowing six hits and five walks while striking out one batter.

It was a much better performance than in the first game when Thiele had trouble feeling her hand.

She wasn’t the only one who was cold.

“The wind turned and came off lake and then it got bad,” Soerens said.

“They even started earlier to avoid the cold but the temperatures dropped earlier than they expected.”

The Rockets dropped the opener of the twin bill, 14-8.

“Anna was kind of struggling to feel her hand at one point,” Soerens said.

Soerens pulled his ace in favor of Dries in the midst of a nine-run fifth inning.

Dries allowed three runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

Thiele allowed 11 runs in four-plus innings.

Dries had three hits in the game, including a two-run home run in the third inning to left field into a 10 to 15 mph wind.

“It cleared the fence by a good 20 to 30 feet,” Soerens said.

“It was a shot. There was no question the instant she hit it.”

Soerens said his team’s fielding was OK and will improve with practice.

“I thought the defense was pretty good. There are a couple of things we need to work on, some of it is just being on a field,” he said.

Thiele used hand warmers to get her feeling back and pitch better in the second game.