Game recap of Frenchtown-Ronan softball game

(Courtesy of John Heglie, iHigh.com)

Frenchtown 16, Ronan 2 (Thursday afternoon)

At Ronan, the visiting Frenchtown Lady Broncs served notice that they will be one of the contending teams in the mix this softball season with a convincing 16-2 win over their hosts.

Maiden pitcher Bethany Colman inaugurated her season with an opening strikeout, but Keller Leishman followed with a double on the next at bat. Colman had a full count on number three batter Kayla Bordner, but her next pitch was up where Bordner obliged with a thank-you-very-much swing that cleared the centerfield fence to stake the Lady Broncs with a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the first, Maiden leadoff hitter Marisa McCrea opened with a single. Colman then sacrificed her over to second. Number three hitter Alex Dulmes drew a walk, and it looked like Ronan might be able to tie things up. But Frenchtown sophomore pitcher Abby Indreland was able to retire the next two batters. The second inning was uneventful for both clubs with the exception of a single by Maiden freshman Jasmine Bocksnick on her first varsity plate appearance.

In the top of the third, Frenchtown leadoff hitter Holly Jacobs drew a walk, then stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball. Leishman stroked her second double of the evening to score Jacobs. Bordner then smacked an RBI single to score Leishman, extending the Frenchtown lead to 4-0. The elder Indreland kept Ronan quiet in the bottom of the third. Sakai Scheffer opened the top of the fourth with a solo home run, Number seven batter Katie Kees drew a walk, stole second, then stole third. Colman struck out the next two batters and had a called third strike on the Lady Bronc leadoff hitter in what would have ended the inning, but the catcher had difficulty holding onto it and Jacobs was able to outrun the throw safely to first.

Leishman would generate another RBI scoring hit to plate Kees. Bordner followed Leishman with an RBI scoring single to plate Leishman. Bordner was called out at second for leaving the bag prematurely. In the bottom of the fourth, freshman Maiden outfielder Alaina Madsen would reach first safely on a difficult-to-handle hit in only her second varsity at-bat. Madsen would advance to second on a passed ball. Number seven hitter Bocksnick would single again, advancing Madsen to third. Bocksnick then stole second to place two Maidens in scoring position.

Freshman pinch hitter Brittney Mock batted the ball into play, which Frenchtown had trouble handling. Instead of the Lady Broncs getting out of the inning, Mock safely reached first while two runs scored when Madsen and Bocksnick crossed the plate to put Ronan on the scoreboard 8-2. Leadoff hitter McCrea reached first on a fielders choice, stole second, but then Frenchtown was able to extricate themselves from the inning with the final out. In the top of the fifth, Kees would hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Indreland, who had reached on a fielding miscue.

While Ronan remained quiet the remainder of the game after a boisterous fourth, Frenchtown was intent upon making more noise. Maiden pitcher Colman opened the top of the sixth with a pair of strikeouts. Then Leishman hit her third (perhaps fourth depending on how one scores) double of the night, then advanced to third on a passed ball. Bordner singled to score Leishman. Pinch hitting for cleanup hitter Sarah Lester, Becca Testers drew a walk. Number five hitter Abby Indreland then hit a grounder toward the gap which a diving Maiden shortstop couldn't snare, which allowed Bordner to plate, but Testers was thrown out when Colman relayed the ball to Bocksnick covering the plate at home to end the inning, limiting the score from advancing beyong 11-2. In the top of the seventh, Scheffer would hit a high fly ball into the statosphere toward right field.

Scheffer was well on her way to second before it returned to earth, which the Maiden outfielder had trouble adjusting to with swirling wind currents to factor in and was unable to make the play. Scheffer rounded third and scored before the relay could arrive at the plate. Subsequent batter Kees hit a strong double, which got by the outfielder having trouble tracking it down.

Kees would score before the relay could arrive at the plate. Number eight and nine hitters McGuire and Hulla would single, followed by a walk to Jacobs to load the bases. A pair of walks would score two more runs, followed by a misplayed ball to the outfield which accounted for another run before Colman would field a pair of grounders to the mound to get out of the inning.

Opponents of the Maidens would be advised to not use this game as a barometer of what they might encounter in their game when it comes around in the schedule. A handful of seasoned players were missing from the lineup due to other commitments. Several Maiden replacements were playing in their first varsity game and they were being asked to contend like veterans against a tournament seasoned team that finished third in the state. Factor out passed balls, fielding miscues and misjudged hits, and the score would have tightened up substantially.

Frenchtown - 202 - 412 - 5 - 16
Ronan - 000 - 200 - 0 - 2

FRENCHTOWN - Holly Jacobs 1-3, 4-5, Kayla Bordner 4-4, Sarah Lester 0-3, Abby Indreland 0-2, Sakai Scheffer 2-4, Katie Kees1-4, Madison McGuire 1-3, Jordan Hulla1-3, Shana Harlan 0-1, Becca Testers (2 walks), Emma Oostdyk 0-1, Kaitlyn Indreland 0-0

RONAN - Marissa McCrea 1-3, Bethany Colman 0-3, Alex Dulmes 0-2, Turquoise Haggard 0-1, Alaina Madsen 1-3, Whisper Ivins 0-3, Jasmine Bocksnick 2-2, Courtney Molzhon 1-3, Christine Robinson 0-1, Brittney Mock 1-2, Sierra Smith 0-1

HR - Bordner, Scheffer 2B - Leishman 3[4?], Kees RBIs - Bordner 5, Leishman 2, Kees, Scheffer [Kees & Scheffer could be scored with 2 apiece if fielding miscues counted as hits]. unofficial game summary by John Heglie. Some details may vary from official stats due to interpretative differences