Hawks get on base and score in win over Mustangs
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn managed only four hits against George-Little Rock but did put 17 runners on base. Over half of them came around to score as HMS topped the Mustangs 9-2 June 21 at Hartley.
“The girls started the week with a win,” noted Hawk head coach Stephanie Bronstad. “Gracie (Knobloch) pitched a good game. “We wanted the bats to turn on a little more but, overall, happy with the win. Hoping this is setting the tone for the week.”
Seven HMS batters drew walks, four reached on errors and two were hit by pitches. Three of the four Hawk hits occurred in the bottom of the second. Knobloch opened with a triple and scored on Kinsey Schirmer’s single. Schirmer, in turn, scored on Bailey VerHelst’s base hit. With two outs in the inning, Delaney Murphy reached base when a third-strike pitch got past the catcher. Both Murphy and courtesy runner Morgan Grooters scored on wild pitches.
In the third inning, the visitors from the Siouxland Conference gave the locals a little more help. Schirmer walked and VerHelst reached on an error. Schirmer scored on a wild pitch. Grooters took second, went to third on the wild pitch and came home on a passed ball.
The Hawks pocketed three insurance runs in the fifth, again without the benefit of a hit. Schirmer walked and moved up a base on an error. An error put Eliza Tewes aboard. Murphy was hit by a pitch to fill the bags. Kunzman coaxed a walk to force in Schirmer. An error preceded the final two runs.
That aforementioned fourth HMS hit was a sixth-inning single recorded by Knobloch. From the pitcher’s circle she struck out 10 and walked just one. She gave up five hits. Neither of the George-Little Rock runs was earned as the inning included a pair of Hawk errors. HMS had three miscues in all.
G-LR 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 – 2
HMS 0 4 2 0 3 0 x – 9