HMS beats West Sioux in back-and-forth contest
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn scored the game’s final four runs to get past West Sioux 9-6 June 16 at Hartley. The Falcons had tallied three times in the top of the fifth inning to take a 6-5 lead before HMS responded with its own three-spot in the bottom of the inning and then tacked on an insurance run in the sixth. The victory allowed the Hawks to even their War Eagle Conference record at 4-4 and move above .500 overall at 10-9.
“Nail biter of a game,” expressed HMS head coach Stephanie Bronstad. “The bats weren’t as great as we hoped but Gracie (Knobloch) pitched well and our defense played well. A few errors we didn’t need but came out with the conference win.”
The Hawks’ three-run rally in the fifth began with a one-out walk to Abby Kunzman. Delaney Murphy’s bunt turned into a base hit and Addy Sheeler was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Both the tying run in Kunzman and the go-ahead run in Murphy scored on passed balls. Kamryn Ebel drew a walk and then Kinsey Schirmer delivered a base hit to bring in Sheeler.
Passed balls were largely responsible for the Hawks’ sixth-inning run as well. Morgan Grooters got the tally, running for Alexis Grover, who had been hit by a pitch. There were seven runners left stranded by each team.
Grover contributed an RBI single in the first inning as did Sheeler in the third. Also in the third, both Abby Otto and Kunzman singled and scored. Adding a base hit apiece to bring the HMS hit total to nine were Frankie Mohni, Knobloch and Ebel.
The Hawks tallied twice in the first inning and West Sioux answered with a run in the second and two more in the third. HMS got three runs in the bottom of the third to go back in front 5-3.
In getting the complete-game victory, Knobloch struck out 13 West Sioux batters while walking none. She gave up 10 hits but only three of the runs were earned. The Hawks were guilty of four errors.
W. Sioux 0 1 2 0 3 0 0 – 6
HMS 2 0 3 0 3 1 x – 9