Hurt by the little things

The hits kept coming for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn in its 2024 softball season opener. The Hawks outhit GTRA, 14-1, during a 6-0 win on May 20 at Ruthven.

Kamryn Ebel was 4-for-5 with a run batted in; Gracie Knobloch was 3-for-4; Abby Otto was 2-for-3 with an RBI; and Eliza Tewes with 2-for-5.

The Hawks scored their first run on an infield groundout by Frankie Mohni in the second inning. Mohni hit an RBI double and Ebel and Otto each hit a run-scoring single during H-M-S's five-run fifth inning.

A single in the fifth inning was the only hit allowed by Knobloch, who walked three and struck out 14 to earn the pitching win.

"The girls played well for the first game out," Hawk coach Stephanie Bronstad said. "We left some runs on the bases and we need to be more opportunistic. Defensively the girls stayed focused all game."

• Late runs send Royals past Hawks

MMCRU did all of its scoring in the final three innings to defeat H-M-S, 14-9, on May 22 in Hartley.

H-M-S scored a run on a first-inning single by Tewes and another in the third on a double by Natalie Daggett.

After the Royals tied the game in the top of the fifth, the Hawks went back in front, 6-2, in the bottom of the inning. Otto drove in two runs with a double, Daggett drove in a run with a single and another run scored on an error.

MMCRU scored six runs in the sixth inning and six more in the seventh. Daggett's two-run double was the big hit in the Hawks' three-run seventh.

Daggett and Tewes led H-M-S with three hits each.

Ebel was the losing pitcher. She allowed 12 hits, walked six and struck out seven. Only seven of MMCRU's runs were earned.

"A tough loss, but I was happy with the way we pitched and hit the ball," Bronstad said. "We struggled defensively with moving some people around, but give credit to MMCRU for hitting the ball well."

• Wolves seal win with 6-run inning

A six-run fourth inning proved to be the difference in Harris-Lake Park's 11-5 win over H-M-S on May 24 in Hartley.

The score was tied 3-3 when the Wolves used a six-hit attack to break the game open. They added single runs in the fifth and seventh innings.

The Hawks scored first on an RBI single by Knobloch in the first inning. An error and a groundout by Tewes helped H-M-S tie the score in the third, and Kinsey Schirmer and Knobloch each singled home a run in the seventh.

Knobloch had two hits and two RBI, and Daggett hit a double.

"We lost focus one inning that hurt us. The girls need to keep working on the little things and big things will come," Bronstad noted.

Ebel pitched the complete game. She gave up 17 hits, walked two and struck out nine.

H-M-S (1-2, 0-1) hosts Gehlen Catholic on May 31, plays in a triangular at Sheldon on June 1 and plays at Akron-Westfield on June 3, and hosts Hinton on June 5.