Red Hawks crush Spartans

It took just five innings for the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau High School softball team to produce its biggest offensive performance of the season last Monday, making quick work of Sparta 16-3.

The visiting Red Hawks (4-2 on the season) were patient at the plate on Monday, blasting 12 hits as a team while earning six walks and forcing errors on the Sparta defense.

“We were pretty patient at the plate and we waited until we got some good pitches,” G-E-T coach Dan Stuhr said of the win. “We didn’t swing at a lot of bad pitches, so that was a good thing.”

Senior pitcher Genna O’Neill continued her strong run to open the season as well, throwing nine strikeouts over four innings and striking out the side in the second inning. 

It was a nice rebound for the senior after her control was a little off in a loss to Holmen on Saturday, Stuhr said.

“She was pretty spot on,” Stuhr said. “She was just hitting her spots really well.”

Shayna Kirkey added a pair of strikeouts in her lone inning on the mound, also going two-for-four with a triple on offense. McKenna Johnson was two-for-three with a double for the Red Hawks, which had four players bring in at least two runs.

Three runs in the first inning got G-E-T started before the Red Hawks added four more in the second and another in the third inning. They ended the game by scoring eight times in the fourth.

The Red Hawks have now scored at least eight runs in four of their five games, and Stuhr said he has been pleased with his team’s work when it’s their turn to bat.

“Offensively we’re doing well and being pretty patient up to the plate, and when we’re getting strikes we’re hitting them hard, doing a lot of the little things that you need to do if you want to win some of them close games.”

An error in the seventh inning allowed Sparta to get on the board, and defensively some errors can be erased, Stuhr said. But through two practices and six games, the coaching staff is happy so far, he said.

“I think we just need to get out on the field and get some work in. I think that stuff will take care of itself.”

G-E-T was scheduled to visit Black River Falls this Tuesday before taking on Luther on Thursday and hosting Tomah on Friday.