Gator softball third in districts

Story courtesy of Wisner Chronicle

The Wisner-Pilger Gator softball team repeated as the third place district placer, grabbing those honors from this week’s Class B-3 tourney in Blair.

Runner-up Bennington had W-P’s number, upending the Gators twice in the tourney, including a 2-0 win Friday in the game to determine the second finalist to face eventual district champion Blair in the finals.

Getting runners on base was not the problem for W-P, but getting the runners home was. The locals pounded out seven hits, but stranded seven baserunners in the loss.

Bennington picked up a 1-0 jump in the opening inning on back-to-back doubles, then added the game’s only other run in the fifth for insurance.

W-P was led by Kayli Wheaton and Samantha Liermann with two hits each. Heidi Miller suffered the mound loss, closing with a pair of strikeouts and just six hits given up.

In a wild matchup with Bennington on Thursday, the locals were tied with the Badgers 3-3 in the fifth inning, but saw things take a wild turn.

In the top of the inning, Bennington’s lead-off hitter lined out to center, but was awarded first base as an illegal pitch was called. The runner moved up on a wild pitch, then scored on back-to-back fielder’s choice groundouts.

In the latter half of the inning, a one-out walk and single put runners on first and second for the locals. Kari Liermann followed with a single that appeared to plate the tying run, however, W-P’s Krista Ott was called out at the plate.

W-P put runners in scoring position in both the sixth and seventh innings, but neither plated to tie the game.

Eve Ortmeier led W-P in the loss with two hits and two runs driven in. Heidi Miller also had two hits.

The three wins in the tourney began with a 10-3 first round victory over Lutheran High NE.

The locals trailed 0-1 entering the last of the first inning, but made quick work of erasing the deficit. A four-hit first inning included doubles from Alexis Knust and Samantha Liermann.

Things were tight through two innings, but W-P broke the game open in the last of the third inning with four runs. The rally was helped out by hits from Suzanne Ras and Kari Liermann.

Knust led a ten-hit effort with three hits from her lead-off position. Wheaton added two. Miller picked up the mound win.

After the initial loss to Bennington, the locals moved back into title contention with wins over David City/East Butler 10-0 and DC West 8-1.

Knust led once again with two hits in the win over DC/EB, while she was joined with two hits in the win over DCW by Ras and Miller.

Ras earned the pitching win over DC/EB and Miller the win over DCW.

The 3-2 tourney effort closed the 2013 campaign for W-P with a 14-17 record.

In action leading into the tourney, W-P closed the regular season with a 12-2 setback at Guardian Angels CC.