Spartans win a pair, lose a pair
It was an up-and-down week of softball for the St Clair/Loyola Spartans. Their offense ground to a halt in one game but then came alive for big numbers in the next game. They suffered defeats to USC and MCW on May 6 and 9. They were able to get back in the winning columns for their next two games against Maple River and Madelia on May 10 and 11.
The feature game of the week was a heartbreaking 0-4 loss to the USC Rebels; the evening was also an ode to the team’s seniors, as Savannah Heinbaugh, Lydia Klaseus, Rihana Irvin, and Rayann Kruse received honorary gift baskets and praise from their teammates, coaches, and supporters.
The Spartans struggled to get any offensive momentum against the Rebel pitcher, who had an impressive command of her fastball and an off-speed pitch that seemed to befuddle Spartans at the plate. Lydia Klaseus was on the mound for the Spartans, and despite striking out ten batters, the hurler also walked five batters and gave up four runs. Two walks and an HBP had Klaseus in early trouble in the top of the first as the bases were loaded up early in the ballgame, and a passed ball by Madison Winkler allowed one run to score. Thankfully, Klaseus has maintained her resolve on the mound throughout the season and was able to retire the inning with just one run crossing the plate. The bottom half of the inning had nothing going for the Spartans as the side struck out to the Rebel’s ace.
Some impressive defense by the infield helped keep this game within striking distance throughout the contest as a strike from Winkler to second stopped a potential steal in its tracks. At the same time, Payton Blount continued to make electric plays at third base as a liner to third was scooped up cleanly, and a laser to first base ended the inning. In one of the few moments of opportunity for the Spartans, they had mounted some momentum in the bottom of the second with none other than Klaseus getting the better of the Rebel pitcher and getting on base after a seven-pitch battle at the plate.
Braxton Breezee replaced Klaseus as a pinch-runner and was able to steal second with ease; Adeline Lotton stepped to the plate in a big spot to try and tie the game, and a passed ball allowed Breezee an easy path to third base. However, Lotton struck out, looking to retire the inning. In the top of the third, Blount learned why third base can be referred to as the “hot corner” as she had to use some quick reflexes to snag a scorching line drive to third; Aubree Mathiowetz also showed off her glove after a choppy ground ball to second was fielded cleanly to end the inning.
The top of the fourth would end up being the deciding factor in the ballgame as a combination of fielding mishaps and some timely hitting by USC ballooned the lead to what would be its final score of 0-4. Blount had another opportunity to make a play at third, but a slapshot down the fair/foul line narrowly avoided her glove for a leadoff single for the Rebels. A wide throw by Winkler to try and pick off a base stealer allowed the runner to advance to third, which was followed by a well-placed sacrifice bunt to secure a second out for the Spartans, but a second run would cross the plate. Klaseus would walk her fourth batter of the game, and another excellent bunt advanced the runner from first all the way to third–she was really booking it. A ball struck well out to deep center field lands just in front of Natalie Kasprowicz and a third run scores; the inning continued with another well-hit shot to left field and Heinbaugh made a terrific leaping effort to catch the liner, but it sailed past her glove and ended up a ground-rule double as the fourth run crossed the plate.
The Spartans’ offense was put in check throughout the later innings as the only pieces of action were from a Blount walk followed by a steal of second base, but Klaseus showed some grit and determination at the plate in the bottom of the seventh as she sliced a ball to shallow right field to get something going for her team. Alas, the inning quickly ended, and the game was over. The loss moved the Spartans to 6-4 on the season and has been a recent string of tough offensive performances for the squad.
Coach Ashley Sander made it known that the following practice would focus on hitting. “USC is a great team this year, and credit to them for a good game. Our defense really helped us stay in this one, but we’re going to get back to work on the basics of hitting; we’ve seen this team put up some runs, so it’s all about being consistent at the plate.”
Sander also had some brief kudos for the four seniors on her team. “I can’t say enough kind things about these four seniors…they have welcomed me and my ideas with open arms. It’s hard when the coaching staff changes, but they have shown up and led by example of what hard work looks and sounds like on the softball field. They have set the groundwork for the future of this program.”
The Spartans were able to wake up their bats in their next game against MCW, but were unable to clinch the victory in the late innings as they fell 9-10. Klaseus went 2-4 with 2 RBIs; Addison Nicolai had a single and a double, 2 RBIs, and one run scored; Kasprowicz and Irvin both had two runs.
Thankfully, the squad was able to flip their fortunes after two straight losses to secure two straight victories against Maple River (8-6) and Madelia (4-1). The Maple River game featured offensive efficiency for the batting order as seven of nine players either had an RBI or secured a run for themselves, whereas the Madelia game was won with a high-tempo offense led by Irvin’s two stolen bases. Sander explained the change in her team in the two wins started with “our confidence at the plate came back” and when they had the lead in the game, they kept the pace going. “We didn’t want to get comfortable with any lead we had, so we made sure to stay aggressive on the bases and at the plate.”
The Spartans had a rollercoaster of a week as their record now sits at 8-5 as they play three games this week, starting with a matchup against the Le-Sueur Giants on May 13, a home game at Loyola against Sleepy Eye on May 16, and a Conference Showcase at Caswell Park in North Mankato on Friday, May 17. Go Spartans!
