Rain, Redskins stop Fort Recovery streak (05/15/04)

FORT RECOVERY — The Indians gave the opposition an extra run, missed some opportunities of their own and never got their final chance at bat as their winning streak stopped at three games Friday.

Fort Recovery’s softball team gave up two runs — one unearned — in the first inning and never evened the score in a 2-1 loss to the Wapakoneta Redskins as the game was stopped because of rain in the top of the seventh inning.

The Tribe (17-7) had chances in each of their final four at bats, leaving two runners on base in the third, fourth and six innings.

In the third Lisa Grisez and Joscie Kaup delivered back-to-back two-out hits, but clean-up hitter Krystal Rammel ended the frame with one of her three strikeouts.

Alyssa Tobe got things going with a one-out walk in the fourth inning, and Renee Evers put down a sacrifice bunt to advance pinch runner Tiera Judy to second. Kelsie Will added an infield single before Megan Wenning grounded out to shortstop Lindsey Miller to end the inning.

The sixth inning followed the same pattern as the fourth through the first three hitters, but play was stopped with a 2-0 count on Will as the rain began to fall. When the players returned to the field Will drew a walk to put runners on first and second, and she and Judy each advanced a base on a wild pitch.

Megan Wenning nearly brought the tying run home when her ground ball glanced off the glove of first baseman Kylie Rupert, but second baseman Brigitte Webb retrieved the ball. Her throw to Rupert just beat Wenning to first base for the final out of the inning.

Tobe pitched to two Redskins in the top of the seventh before play was stopped again — and the game was eventually called — because of heavy rain.

Wapakoneta got the only two runs it would need in the first inning after Webb led off with a bunt single. She stole second base, and Courtney Schlenker advanced her to third with a sacrifice bunt.

Abby Snider followed with another sacrifice — a fly ball to center fielder Renee Evers — to score the first Redskin run.

Rupert kept the inning alive, hammering a triple past Evers and all the way to the fence in right-center field. Then Grisez missed a Miller line drive, and Rupert came in with what would be the winning run.

Like the Indians, Wapakoneta had chances to score in almost every inning, but got stopped by a series of great defensive plays.

Kaup, the catcher, assisted on the final out in the second and third innings. She caught Tara Place trying to steal second base in the second, and picked Webb off of third base in the third.

Renee Evers made the play of the contest, coming all the way from relatively deep center field into shallow right to make a spectacular sliding catch on a pop-up off the bat of Beth Newman. The Redskins also had two on and two out in the fifth and sixth innings, but couldn’t come up with the big hit.

Webb was the only player to finish with two hits against Tobe, who took the defeat. She allowed two runs — one earned — on six hits in six innings. She struck out one and walked one.

The Tribe got its lone run in the first inning with Grisez starting things off by ripping a one-out double to left field. Kaup brought her home with a single to left, and that was all the scoring Fort Recovery would produce.

Wapakoneta pitcher Amanda Wuebbenhorst did a nice job of keeping the Indian hitters off balance by mixing her fastball and change-up. She struck out eight batters, with six of those Ks coming against Krystal Rammel and No. 5 hitter Brenda Rindler.

In all, she allowed one run on five hits and three walks in six innings.

Fort Recovery will try to get another streak started when it visits Spencerville for a double-header today at noon.

It will return to tournament action in the district semifinals against Marion Local at New Bremen Tuesday at 5 p.m.[[In-content Ad]]