Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Softball

Mike Randleman – Faribault Daily News

It’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish.

The Waterville-Elysian-Morristown softball team appeared to have conference rival New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva solved through five innings, but an 11-run sixth inning surged the Panthers past the Buccaneers Monday in Waterville.

Maddy Meskan traded places with Kylie Pittman for an RBI double in the first inning. Pitcher Trista Hering walked and came around to score in the second for another run.

Hering was mowing down Panthers in the early going as WEM tacked on its third run in the fifth on a Hering sacrifice fly.

“We started strong, but we couldn’t get out of the sixth inning,” said WEM coach Crystal Lamont. “We weren’t sharp defensively and NHREG strung their hits together. They have great team speed. They found the holes and kept running the bases.”

NRHEG had six singles in the sixth inning and reached base in its first seven at-bats. Nine of the 11 runs were earned.

WEM put a runner on in the sixth and seventh but went down scoreless.

This isn’t the first game this season with an 11-run inning for the Bucs. They scored as many April 24 against United South Central to turn a 5-4 deficit into a 15-5 mercy rule win.

The Bucs dropped to 4-1 on the season and in Gopher Conference play. Next up is another home game 4:30 p.m. Thursday vs. Bethlehem Academy. The Cardinals dropped to 2-2 and 1-2 in conference after a 9-5 loss to Maple River on Tuesday.

New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva 11, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 3

N — 0 0 0 0 0 11 0

W — 1 1 0 0 1 0 0

WEM hitting — Maddy Meskan 1-2, RBI, 2B; Allison Rients 1-3, 2B; Kylie Pittmann 1-4, R, 2B; Megan Adank 1-4, R; Hailie Tegmeier 1-4; Trista Hering 0-2, RBI; Brielle Bartelt 0-2, SB

WEM pitching — Hering (L) 7IP-11H-9ER-11R-2BB-6SO-0HR

Mike Randleman – Faribault Daily News

The Buccaneers continue to save their best for last.

The Waterville-Elysian-Morristown softball team scored six runs in the final three innings to surge past host Maple River 7-2 Thursday.

This was two days after WEM scored 11 runs in the fifth inning to win by 10 and thwart a comeback attempt from United South Central.

“Our girls have done a great job of not getting rattled and trusting our bats,” said WEM coach Crystal Lamont. “That has been great to see early in the season.”

Trista Hering’s pitching kept WEM in the mix all game. She held the Eagles scoreless through three innings. Her two allowed in the fourth were unearned as she struck out eight total against three hits.

Lamont said Hering “kept the hitters off balance most of the game.”

WEM scored first in the game in the second inning and retook the lead with two runs in the fifth.

“Our offense once again responded our next at-bat and took the lead back for good,” Lamont said. “Megan Adank and Hailie Tegmeier had clutch hits to get our rally going.”

Adank finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. Kylie Pittmann went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and Tegmeier 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI and a stolen base.

The Bucs finished with 10 hits on the night. Seven runs scored actually reduced their season average to 8.25.

WEM heads back home for a 4:30 p.m. first pitch Tuesday against New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva. The Bucs swept last season’s series and won 4-1 in a five-inning dome game April 20.

WEM 7, Maple River 2

W — 0 1 0 0 2 4 0

M — 0 0 0 2 0 0 0

WEM hitting leaders — Kylie Pittman 3-5, 2 R; Megan Adank 2-4, 2 R, RBI; Hailie Tegmeier 2-3, 2 RBI; Maddy Meskan 1-3, RBI; Nicole Nuetzman 1-3; Makayla Paulson 1-4, RBI

WEM pitching — Trista Hering (W) 7IP-3H-2R-0ER-2BB-8SO-0HR

MIKE RANDLEMAN – Faribault Daily News
April 24, 2018

The Waterville-Elysian-Morristown softball team went from desperation to delight in the span of an inning.

The WEM Buccaneers improved to 3-0 on the season, as well as in the Gopher Conference, with a 15-5 win against United South Central. They took a circuitous route to win their home opener.

WEM scored two runs in the first inning and a couple more in the fourth to go ahead 4-0. Trista Hering was up to 16 innings pitched on the year with only two allowed runs to that point.

The Rebels flipped the switch in the fifth, scoring five, two unearned, to take their first lead 5-4 in the fifth inning.

The Bucs rallied in a big way.

“I was proud of how the girls responded to USC taking the lead in the top of the fifth. They answered with 11 runs to not just take back the lead but end the game,” said WEM coach Crystal Lamont of her team’s 10-run rule win. “We didn’t play perfect but we kept battling. We have a resilient group who trusts each other and sticks together. When they do that we are in every ball game.”

Nicole Nuetzman led three Bucs with two hits, going 2-for-2 with two runs scored and another driven in. Lamont said Nuetzman had “great at-bats” and praised Kylie Pittmann and Allison Rients for clutch hits as part of two-hit games.

Hailie Tegmeier drove in a run on a double that hit the center field fence.

WEM will head to Maple River 5 p.m. Thursday. The two teams split last season’s series with each game decided by a run.

WEM 15, United South Central 5

U — 0 0 0 0 5

W — 2 0 0 2 11

WEM hitting — Nicole Nuetzman 2-2, 2 R, RBI; Kylie Pittmann 2-3, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2B; Allison Rients 2-3, 2 R, 3 RBI; Ellie Ready 1-2, 2 R, 3B; Hailie Tegmeier 1-3, R, RBI, 2B; Makayla Paulson 1-4, 2 R, RBI

WEM pitching — Trista Hering 5IP-7H-3ER-5R-2BB-8SO-0HR

As the clock approached midnight, the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown softball team wondered one thing:

“Who do we play next?”

After weeks of waiting, the WEM Buccaneers (2-0, 2-0 Gopher Conference) finally got their season underway Friday night, picking up a 7-1 win against Blooming Prairie and a 4-1 win in five innings against New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva at the Austin Wescott Sports Complex dome. They were hopeful another team or two was waiting for them.

“Our girls were very hungry to play a game. Seven weeks in the gym will do that to you,” said WEM coach Crystal Lamont. “We were excited to get out and get game competition. None of them played in the dome before, so that was a new experience.”

WEM looked like seasoned vets on the artificial turf. WEM led wire-to-wire against the Awesome Blossoms in game one.

Sophomore Trista Hering was lights out, allowing just four hits, walking one and striking out 12 in a complete-game win.

“Trista pitched a tremendous game to start the season,” Lamont said. “She had one walk and 21 strikeouts [in two games] and most importantly hitting her spots. She was able to locate some offspeed stuff, but didn’t have to use it too much.”

The offense provided eight hits in a balanced effort. Senior Hailie Tegmeier was 2-for-2 with a walk and RBI, senior Maddy Meskan 2-for-3 with an RBI, Megan Adank hit an inside-the-park home run, Nicole Nuetzman drove in two runs and Hering knocked a double.

Hering was 2-for-2 in the abbreviated game against NRHEG as five other Bucs recorded one hit.

“Offensively, I was happy with how we hit, too, especially our first game against Blooming,” Lamont said. “Even a lot of our outs were good outs. They were hit hard with solid contact. Our seniors stepped up and led us.”

Hering threw all five innings and allowed four hits and no walks while striking out nine Panthers.

WEM’s originally scheduled home game Monday vs. United South Central was moved back to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to give the field another day to dry.

Lamont said she got the pickaxe out to break up some ice in front of one of the dugouts, but that the field should be good to go.

WEM 7, Blooming Prairie 1

W — 1 0 2 3 0 1 0

B — 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

WEM hitting — Hailie Tegmeier 2-2, 3 R, RBI, 2B; Maddy Meskan 2-3, RBI; Megan Adank 1-4, HR, 2R, RBI; Nicole Nuetzman 1-3, 2 RBI, SB; Trista Hering 1-3, 2B; Kylie Pittmann 1-4; Makayla Paulson 0-4, RBI

Pitching — Trista Hering (W) 7IP-4H-1R-1ER-1BB-12SO-0HR

WEM 4, NRHEG 1 (5 innings)

WEM hitting — Hering 2-2, RBI, 2B; Pittmann 1-3, R, RBI; Meskan 1-3, RBI; Nuetzman 1-1; Allison Rients 1-2; Ellie Ready 1-1; Paulson 0-2, R

Pitching — Hering (W) 5IP-4H-1R-1ER-0BB-9SO-0HR

By ADAM J.S. HOLT -Faribault Daily News

The Buccaneers knew runs would be harder to come by as the Section 2AA tournament went on. Thursday, they were very tough to find.

The No. 6 seed Waterville-Elysian-Morristown softball team lost a 2-0 game at No. 3 Fairmont in the second round of the playoffs. The Bucs got an excellent outing from pitcher Trista Hering, but never quite got a clutch hit.

“This game was what we expected,” coach Crystal Lamont said. “It was a pitchers’ duel with both teams trying to manufacture runs. I was very proud of how our girls played.”

Hering was brilliant for a second straight game, allowing just two runs, one earned, on three hits and a walk, while striking out 10.

Fairmont’s two runs came in the fifth to break a scoreless tie. A single and error plated one run and Jaiden Lieding added an RBI single. Those were the only runs of the game. Fairmont only had two other baserunners outside of the fifth.

WEM mustered just three hits, two by Kate Masberg, and drew four walks. The Bucs had runners on in the first five innings, but never got anyone farther than second. Lamont said she takes some blame for waving Masberg to third on a leadoff double in the first, only to see her tagged out at the bag.

WEM is 14-8 and now plays Tri-City United (11-11) in an elimination game at noon Saturday at Caswell Park in North Mankato. WEM’s next loss in sections would be its last.

“The good news is we get another chance to play,” Lamont said. “We’ll regroup and come ready to do our best on Saturday.”