The Fastpitch Chronicle

On a cold, windy, damp day in Poynette the Pumas’ softball team upped its record to 5-0 with a key win over Lake Mills on Thursday.

Junior Casey Fountain was a highlight for the Pumas as she twirled a one-hit, one walk gem and went 2x2 at the plate with two doubles and an RBI. She got offensive help from quite a few of the other Pumas in the mix along with a couple of crucial L-Cat errors. Fountain had a perfect game going 4 1/3 before issuing a base on balls to Syd Schwartz. After a brilliant play by shortstop Peyton Kingsland retired Tessa Kottwitz on a shoestring catch on a short blooper between her and the pitcher’s circle and doubled off Schwarz who, like most of the people playing and watching the game though would happen, got caught too far off first base. She was doubled off to end the inning and Fountain had still faced the minimum number of batters through five innings. Fountain lost her bid for a no-hitter when with two outs the #9 batter, Tija Eglite torched a high hard one that went out of the yard in a jiffy. It was the only hit of the game for the L-Cats. The Pumas awarded Eglite with the home run ball when the game ended.

Offensively the Puma’s reached sophomore pitcher Taylor Roughen for 11 hits as she managed just four strikeouts. In the Pumas’ second Molly Anderson ripped a 1-2 pitch over the gate in dead center for a 1-0 lead and the Pumas were off and running. Putting the ball in play led to four more runs which were aided by two misplayed balls by the L-Cats. After the home run Roughen coaxed a fly ball off the bat of catcher Zoe Ramberg and when the DP Mara Millard hit a fly ball to rightcenter it was misplayed allowing her to scoot into second base where she was replaced by a pinch runner. Kingsland then hit a looping liner down the leftfield line to score Ashia Meister. Fountain then followed with her first double of the game. After Roughen got Brianna Kowald out on a come-back bunt Lucy Cuff laced a screamer at second sacker Schwartz who saw the ball go between her legs allowing Cuff to get to second. She scored when junior first sacker Brianna Schulz lined a double off the fence in rightcenter which saw her slide headlong into the bag safely.

The Pumas plated four more runs in the fifth inning off Roughen on four more hits including Fountain’s second double and singles off the bats of Schulz, Anderson and Ramberg. In the bottom of the sixth Cuff grounded out sharply to short and junior outfielder rattled the chain link fence in rightcenter before senior third sacker Ashley Hellenbrand ended the game with rocket over the same gate that Anderson hit one over earlier.

The Pumas are now 5-0 on the year but have big games coming up in Wisconsin Dells on Friday and matchups with Thorp and Wisconsin Heights on Saturday in Poynette where those three teams along with Stratford, Gilman, Stanley Boyd, River Valley and Manawa will join them for the Fifth Annual Northwoods Jamboree. Games will be played on all three fields at the high school beginning at 19 am. Concessions as always will be available.