The challenge set before Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn? Defeat a perennial softball power on the road in an elimination game. The hill got even steeper to climb after that softball power, Akron-Westfield, scored seven times in the first inning. HMS was unable to answer with so much as a run and ultimately lost the Class 1A Region 1 softball tournament quarterfinal 10-0 in five innings July 7 at Akron. The Hawks see their season come to an end with a final record of 5-17.
“It was a tough night for the girls,” said Hawk head coach Stephanie Bronstad. “Mentally we didn’t play well and execute our defense. Gracie (Knobloch) pitched well. We had a few hits but couldn’t produce them when needed. We’re looking forward to working hard on the off season and making bigger gains for next year.”
Elle Mastbergen accounted for two of the five HMS hits. She singled in both the third and fourth innings. In between those two hits were singles by Jessica Riedemann in the third and by Knobloch and Darby Mastbergen in the fourth.
The Westerners added to their first inning barrage with single runs in the third and fourth innings. In the fifth, a single, a walk and a bunt single led to the run that wrote a finish to the game.
Knobloch yielded 10 runs on 10 hits. Eight of the runs were earned. She walked five batters and hit one.
Seniors bowing out for HMS are Darby Mastbergen, Elle Mastbergen, Taya Mason, Jessica Riedemann, Elly Klein and Paige Gehrke.
HMS 0 0 0 0 0 – 0
A-W 7 0 1 1 1 – 10