Norse swat Hornets before losses to Lancers, Cardinals

The Whitehall softball team picked up its second win of the season before losing to two of the Dairyland Conference’s best teams.

The Norse scored three runs late in their 5-4 win over Alma Center Lincoln last Tuesday. On Thursday and Friday, however, the team struggled all around, falling to Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran, 14-3, before losing to Eleva-Strum, 10-0.

Whitehall began this week with a 2-9 record. That was before the team hosted Independence/Gilmanton on Monday and played at Melrose-Mindoro on Tuesday. On Thursday, the Norse will host Augusta, then head to Mondovi on Friday. The team’s last scheduled regular season game is Monday at home against Eleva-Strum. 

Whitehall 5 AC Lincoln 4

The Norse scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead for good.

The Hornets scored one run in the top of the fifth to take a 4-2 lead into the bottom half of the inning. Whitehall came out swinging in the bottom half as Taylor Johnson led off with a double before Regan Clatt singled. A walk loaded the bases, then Harlow Foss singled in one run. Ziva Rose then doubled in two runs to put Whitehall ahead.

The Hornets put one runner on in the sixth and two in the seventh, but couldn’t bring the tying run home.

After both teams scored one run in the first inning, Rose gave Whitehall the lead with a solo home run in the second. The Hornets answered with two in the third.

Whitehall had eight hits in the game as Johnson, Clatt and Rose all had two. Rose drove in three runs. 

Clatt got the win, striking out five in the complete game. She allowed three walks and six hits.

ECI 14 Whitehall 3

The Norse tied the score in the bottom of the second, but the Lancers broke free after that.

ECI scored two runs in the top of the first and another in the second, but Johnson evened the score with a three-run home run in the bottom of the second. 

Whitehall couldn’t keep up after that, however. ECI scored one in the third and two in the fourth before breaking the game open with six in the fifth. The Lancers added two more in the sixth.

Clatt took the loss, allowing nine hits and two walks, while striking out four. The Norse committed six errors behind her, leading to 11 unearned runs. 

E-S 10 Whitehall 0

The Norse couldn’t get a read on E-S ace Ruby Bartholomew, striking out 13 times in the five-inning loss.

The Cardinals took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. They added one more in the third and six in the fourth before ending the game by mercy rule with one in the fifth.

Whitehall had two hits in the game, one by Addison Poeschel and the other by Karli Molis.

Kelsie Klomsten took the loss, allowing six hits and six walks, while striking out six.