After starting the season 2-0, the Wakefield 18U softball team took their first loss of the season in a matchup against West Point-Beemer on Tuesday, June 4.
The last time these two teams met up, it was a walk-off win for the Wakefield squad. This time, however, it was West Point-Beemer who earned the victory.
West Point-Beemer used patience at the plate and a strong surge of offensive power to get the contest started out with a bang.
The first batters for West Point-Beemer earned their way onto base before a single brought two of those runner’s home. This was only the beginning for West-Point Beemer.
By the end of the first inning, the West Point-Beemer squad had earned themselves a comfortable 9-0 lead to set the tone for the rest of the contest.
After going down by nine right off the bat, Wakefield had a tough time rebounding. In the top of the second, all three Wakefield batters that stepped up to the plate struck out to give the Cadets of West Point-Beemer another opportunity to tack on more runs.
West Point-Beemer did just that and took the opportunity to score even more runs than they did in the bottom of the first. After earning three walks to start the bottom half of the inning, WPB ripped a double through the gap to score two runs and continue the hot streak they began in the bottom of the first.
West Point-Beemer went on to score 11 more runs in the bottom of the second to blow the game wide open and take a 20-0 lead over the Trojans after just two innings of play.
Wakefield hit six singles in a row in the top of the third in an attempt to mount a comeback, but only scored two runs off their efforts. Due to the mercy rule, the contest was called after the top of the third. West Point-Beemer earned the victory by a final score of 20-2.
This loss was Wakefield’s first loss of the season, which moves their season record to 2-1. The Trojans will continue their season with a pair of games during the upcoming week. Wakefield will take on the Hartington Penguins on Tuesday, June 11 and the Crofton Lady Warriors on Thursday, June 13.
The girls’ competed in the Class C district 2/6 softball tournament held in Pierce from Friday, June 7 through Sunday, June 9.
11 teams from across the area competed in the double-elimination tournament for the opportunity to qualify for the Class C State Softball Championships later this month.
Wakefield was one of four teams to begin their tournament on Friday, June 7. The squad got their weekend started with a close contest against the Osmond Tigers. After a back-and-forth battle, Wakefield was able to squeak away with a 10-9 win to advance to day two of the tournament.
On day two, which was Saturday, June 8, Wakefield got the day started with a matchup against the Hartington Penguins at 10:30 a.m. Unfortunately, the Penguins were rested up and were able to come out on top by a final score of 8-4. This loss sent Wakefield down to the elimination bracket with their tournament now officially on the line.
After a short break following their loss, Wakefield took on Battle Creek in the elimination bracket in what would be another one-run ballgame. Unfortunately, this time Wakefield ended up on the wrong side of the outcome.
Battle Creek was able to just barely outlast Wakefield by a final score of 6-5. This loss officially ended Wakefield’s stay in the district tournament.
With a 1-2 performance, Wakefield finished in ninth place as a team in the tournament. While they did not qualify for the Class C State Championships, the team is eligible to compete in the Class D State Tournament in Hastings that will take place from Friday, July 12 through Sunday, July 14.