Esky falls twice to Falls

By Dennis Grall - dgrall@dailypress.net
ESCANABA — Tight games are usually decided by big plays, and Monday all the key plays went to Oconto Falls.

The Panthers edged Escanaba 3-0 and 2-1 in girls softball, with two unearned runs on the same play deciding the opener. A timely hit-and-run snapped a tie in the nightcap.

“When you play good competition, it comes down to a couple of hits (or mistakes),” said Escanaba manager John LaMarch.

Oconto Falls (12-4) scored twice in the sixth inning to end a scoreless struggle in the opener. Chelsie Hogan raced in from third on Paige Surprise’s grounder to second base, with the throw from Devon DePas bouncing between the legs of catcher Michelle Carne.

As the ball rolled to the fence, Courtney Lisowe came charging around third base and scored.

“She (Lisowe) read that really well,” said OF manger Dawn Larsen. “She was gone before I could even yell.”

LaMarch said DePas “charged like she is supposed to. A lot happens when there is a play at the plate. It was a bang-bang play. It just didn’t work out for us.”

The Panthers also displayed good defense at a crucial time in the opener. In the fourth inning, Jill Willette ripped a two-out double to the fence in left-center but Kaisa Anderson was gunned out at the plate trying to score from first.

Hogan, playing short, made an exquisite relay throw to catcher Brynne Larsen to end the inning and keep the game scoreless. “How many times does that happen, once in eight games?” asked manager Larsen. “The ball got there early and that takes the pressure off the catcher.”

LaMarch said “we probably score on that nine out of 10 times.”

Oconto Falls added an insurance run in the seventh on Larsen’s leadoff double and Hogan’s RBI single.

Willette absorbed the loss, giving up three hits and striking out six. Surprise yielded four hits for the win.

The nightcap was decided on Abby Konitzer’s RBI double to left-center in the fifth inning, snapping a 1-1 tie. Brynne Larsen scored from first as the ball eluded center fielder Danielle Beaudoin and rolled to the fence.

“Right away I knew she was going to score,” said LaMarch. “We looked at her going and looked at throwing her out, but she (Konitzer) slapped it to left-center. That was good execution on their part. They hit and ran with their best runner.”

That pinned the loss on Brooke Milkiewicz, who allowed six hits and struck out five.

Danielle Winter earned the win, giving up one run over five innings, with Beaudoin scoring on Carne’s fly ball in the fourth.

Surprise tossed the final two frames, stranding a runner in scoring position each inning. The Panthers yielded four hits.

“We’ve been struggling to find some momentum,” said LaMarch. “We’ve just got to keep battling and play good softball, and we are, and our turn will come.”

The Eskymos (11-4) visit Gladstone Thursday.