Post 354 softball splits with Arcadia, swept by Tomah

One of the unofficial markers of the start of summer came last week with the beginning of the legion softball season.

For Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau Post 354, that meant a pair of doubleheaders on back-to-back days. After suffering a sweep at the hands of Tomah on the road, Post 354 managed to pick up a split against Arcadia Post 17 as each of the two Trempealeau County teams earned their first win of the new campaign.

In the next of a series of Wednesday doubleheaders that makes up their summer slate, G-E-T (1-3) will host the La Crescent/Hokah Lancers this week with the first game starting at 6 p.m.

Arcadia (1-1) is back in action with a home doubleheader against Sparta on Thursday. First pitch for the opening game is set for 5 p.m.

Tomah 6 G-E-T 5

A late rally wasn’t quite enough to get Post 354 over the hump in the first of two scheduled five-inning games last Wednesday in Tomah.

Through three innings, Tomah built up a 6-0 lead before G-E-T made its move. In the top of the fourth, a Kennedy Scow triple plated two runs. The comeback bid pressed ahead in the fifth inning with three more runs courtesy of Lorissa Thompson’s RBI double, Alexis Ouellette’s RBI triple and Ouellette scoring on a wild pitch.

However, they were unable to score the one more run needed to knot the score.

Tomah 11 G-E-T 3

A seven-run rally in the top of the second propelled Tomah to a comfortable win that wrapped up in four innings to complete the doubleheader sweep.

G-E-T’s three runs were scored thanks to Brookelynn Keller’s RBI single in the first and both Jayden Thill and Scow scampering home on a passed ball in the second.

G-E-T 3 Arcadia 1

Going into the bottom of the fourth of the first game of the doubleheader between Arcadia and G-E-T last Thursday in Ettrick, Arcadia was responsible for the only run to that point.

But G-E-T had the decisive rally of that game in the fourth inning, scoring three runs courtesy of a Lorissa Thompson RBI single and a Ruby Johnson go-ahead two-run double with two outs.

Kennedy Scow earned the win in the circle, allowing one run on one hit, one walk and one hit batter while notching six strikeouts.

Arcadia 6 G-E-T 3

Coming off a win in the first game of last week’s doubleheader, G-E-T got out to flying start in the second. However, it was Arcadia who got the last laugh with a massive fourth-inning rally.

Post 354’s Alexis Ouellette kickstarted a three-run rally in the top of the first with an RBI double. Post 17 finally answered with a six-run explosion in the bottom of the fourth that featured Tessah Ely’s two-run single, Tatum Drazkowski’s RBI single, Kiley Fitzpatrick’s two-run triple and Fitzpatrick scoring on a passed ball.

Drazkowski was the only player for either team to collect two hits.