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Negaunee Miners, Westwood Patriots roll to high school softball sweeps

Marquette’s Rileigh Dyer pitches during the second game against the Negaunee Miners in a high school softball doubleheader held at Lions Field in Marquette on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

MARQUETTE — The Negaunee softball team may have had to deal with a soggy field Wednesday, but didn’t have much of an effect on the Miners.

Negaunee caught fire quickly in both of games of its doubleheader with Marquette and its hot bats were never extinguished as the Miners swept the twinbill, 19-0 in the first game and 19-5 in the second.

“It was just one of those days where we hit the ball well and they made some errors and walked home batters,” Miners head coach Randy Carlson said. “That combination can lead to a lot of runs.

“We have a solid lineup and we knew we should be able to score some runs this year and it’s nice to see them perform that way. It’s one thing to have a good team on paper, but it’s better to see it out on the field and the girls are playing up to what they’re capable of.”

In the opener, Negaunee got on the scoreboard fast with four runs in the top of the first inning. Up 11-0 going into the fifth, the Miners pushed across eight more runs to cap off the win in five innings.

Skylar Hall earned the win in the circle for Negaunee, giving up four hits and striking out six. Payton Drew led the Miners at the plate, going 2 for 3 with three RBIs, while Abby Nelson went 1 for 3 with three RBIs.

The second game started off a little better for the Redettes. After the Miners scored three in the top of the first, Marquette plated four runs in its half of the frame, including a two-run homer by Sofia van den Ende.

However, after that, things slid downhill for the Redettes. Negaunee answered back with five runs in the second and then six more in the third to break the game open.

Nelson picked up the win for the Miners, giving up five runs on five hits with five strikeouts and four walks. She also went 3 for 4 at the plate with three RBIs, while Hannah Voskuhl went 4 for 5 with two RBIs.

Weather permitting, the Miners will host Gladstone at 4 p.m. today, while Marquette will compete in the Escanaba Invitational Saturday.

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Westwood 15-22, Gwinn 0-1

At Gwinn, the Patriots had a good day both at the plate and in the field as they swept the Modeltowners 15-0 and 22-1.

“We had poor weather again, but we toughed it out and focused on the job we needed to do,” Westwood head coach Jared Koski said. “We put runs on the board and did what we expected to do. I’m happy with the results.”

Karlie Patron earned the win for the Patriots in the opener, facing nine batters and striking out eight in three innings. Natalie Prophet had two singles and a double for Westwood, while Ellie Miller went 2 for 2 with a single and a double.

In the second game, it was tied 1-1 after the first inning, but then Westwood found its groove at the plate and started to pile it on, earning the win in five innings.

Allie Radcliffe picked up the victory for the Patriots as she gave up two hits and struck out seven. She also went 4 for 5 at the plate, while Prophet was 3 for 4 with a three-run homer.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Writer Ryan Stieg. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.

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