By Tom Anderson, Head Coach
MARATHON – The Iola-Scandinavia softball team lost a pair of one-run non-conference games on Saturday afternoon, May 16, at Marathon. The Thunderbirds lost to Waupaca 9-8 in the first game and to Marathon 6-5 in the second, which went eight innings.
The two losses dropped the T-Birds’ overall record to 14-6. The Iola-Scandinavia varsity team played six games in six days and finished the week with a 3-3 record.
The varsity team will travel to Keshena to play Menominee Nation on Monday, May 18, in their final CWC-East contest of the season. The game will start at 4:30 p.m. As always, call the high school softball hotline (715-445-2411, ext. 5000) before each game to check the status.
Game 1 vs. Waupaca
MARATHON – The Iola-Scandinavia softball team’s seventh inning rally fell short as the Thunderbirds lost to Waupaca, 9-8. Trailing 9-3 going into the bottom of the seventh inning, the T-Birds scored a run and added four more runs with Rayanne Clendenning’s grand slam to make the score 9-8. Iola-Scandinavia managed to load the bases again but was unable to get the tying or winning runs across home plate.
Maya Munoz had three hits, including a run-scoring single in the fifth inning. Brooklyn Berrens, Clendenning, and Maggie Maus each had two hits. Besides the bases-loaded home run in the seventh inning, Clendenning also doubled earlier in the sixth inning. Maus had a double in the fifth inning.
Pitcher Rayanne Clendenning went the distance in taking the loss. She had no walks and one strikeout. The Iola-Scandinavia defense struggled, committing four errors in the game.
Game 2 vs. Marathon
MARATHON – For the second game of the day and trailing 5-2, the Iola-Scandinavia softball team rallied for three runs in the seventh inning to tie the score, 5-5, and send the game into extra innings. Marathon scored their walk-off run in the bottom of the eighth inning to claim the 6-5 victory.
Maya Munoz again led the Thunderbirds with three hits. Braelyn Jueds and Maggie Maus each had two hits. Maus had a run-scoring single in the third and seventh innings. The seventh-inning single tied the game.
Charlotte Isermann pitched all eight innings in taking the loss. Isermann had no walks and two strikeouts. The T-Birds had three defensive errors.
