Trailing Waterloo 4-3 heading to the bottom of the fifth inning, the Poynette Pumas rallied for three runs to nip the Pirates 6-4 in Poynette.
Allison Tomlinson started the fifth off by drawing a base on balls out of Pirate pitcher Jenna Kohn. Riley Barnharst moved Tomlinson along to second with a sacrifice bunt before Brea Falstad popped out to first base. Mya Knuteson then drew a base on balls and Brookins delivered her second hit of the game, a single to center that got through the centerfielder scoring two runs and giving the Pumas a 5-4 lead. Rachel Renz then hit a light bouncer toward shortstop and beat the throw while Brookins sprinted home with the third run of the inning.
Haley Radewan started in the circle for Poynette and turned in a great performance. Unfortunately for her the Pumas' defense let her down in the first and second innings. In the first Kaitlyn Filter led off with a bloop single behind the bag at third and Miranda Dorn went down swinging. Ashley Kniesel hit a ball in the hole between the first and second sackers and was safe when the ball thrown to first was high and made it out of play allowing Filter to score on an awarded base. Later Melanie Renforth singled Kniesel home for a 2-0 Pirate lead.
With two outs and runners on second and third Abby Neabling lined a double to the fence in leftcenter knotting the game at three all.
The Pirates regained the lead in the top of the second when Julia Lanphier drew a base on balls out of Radewan. After Filter popped out to third Lanphier with some heady base-running scooted to second and was not played upon. Miranda Dorn hit a ball to right field that was dropped but Lanphier could not scored. On the next batter however, Poynette centerfielder Rachel Renz dropped a fly ball as she was sprinting in toward t he infield. That error scored Lanphier with the go-ahead run.
Radewan moved through the rest of the second, third and fourth with no trouble but in the fifth with one out Megan Springer lined a double in the gap in leftcenter. The Pumas intentionally walked Melanie Renforth and put runners on one and two. That's when Poynette coach Bob Tomlinson called upon sophomore pitcher Mattie Bredeson.
The sophomore pitcher hadn't pitched in a game since Poynette's 4-3 win over Cuba City on May 7th due to a broken tarsal bone on her right foot. Today marked the first time she had faced a batter since then and was in fact the first time she'd pitched without a boot on her foot. Bredeson entered with a 1-1 count on Cassidy Matsol but sent her tot eh bench on a strikeout. Erin Fugate then singled to score Springer and give the Pirates a 4-3 lead. Poynette catcher Riley Barnharst then erased Fugate at first with a perfect pickoff throw which ended the inning.
That set the stage for Brookins' heroics in the fifth and Bredeson calmed the Pirate bats from that point on to get the victory.
Poynette now plays Lakeside Lutheran on Friday in Poynette for the right to play in the sectional semi-final on Tuesday. Poynette will enter that game with a 20-6 record.
Tag(s): Home Get the News
