Raiders split series with Westby
Arcadia’s Olivia Kujak attempts to put down a tag as Westby’s Taylor Davidson slides into third during a Coulee clash last week. (Times photograph by Zach Rastall)
Two games against conference foe Westby last week produced two markedly different results for the Arcadia softball team.
The Raiders (5-5, 4-2 Coulee) kicked off their first of two games against the Norsemen (3-4, 1-3) with a blowout win in shutout fashion on the road, only to drop the rematch at home in much closer fashion three days later.
Arcadia has a string of upcoming home games that will see them host Black River Falls on Thursday at 5 p.m., Viroqua on Monday at 5 p.m. and Independence/Gilmanton on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
Arcadia 12 Westby 0
A scintillating pitching performance from Kaitlyn Bremer combined with plenty of run support provided the recipe for Arcadia’s six-inning win over the Norsemen last Monday in Westby.
The Raiders got the scoring started with two runs in the top of the first, including Layna Wozney’s RBI single. They maintained that 1-0 lead until the fourth inning, when a six-run rally featuring RBI singles by Wozney, Tessah Ely, Sacia Boland and Tatum Drazkowski opened the floodgates.
Arcadia was able to bring the mercy rule into effect with four final runs in the sixth thanks to RBI singles by Kiley Fitzpatrick, Drazkowski and Wozney.
Bremer was electric in tossing a shutout, allowing just three hits and striking out 11 in six innings. At the plate, Wozney went 3 for 4 with three RBIs and a run while Drazkowski and Ely finished each finished 2 for 4.
Westby 8 Arcadia 5
Despite the Raiders leading for much of the game, a couple of late rallies by Westby allowed them to escape with a three-run payback win last Thursday in Arcadia.
The Raiders built up a 4-0 lead through five innings thanks to a Drazkowski RBI single in the third, Wozney scoring on a wild pitch in the fourth and another Drazkowski RBI singled followed by a Bremer sac fly in the fifth.
A couple of costly Arcadia errors helped keep the inning alive for the Norsemen in the top of the sixth and contributed to them scoring four runs to knot the score at 4-4. Chloe Schlosstein laced an RBI double in the bottom half of the inning to put the Raiders back ahead 5-4.
However, a Westby hit parade in the top of the seventh produced four more runs and an 8-5 lead. Though Arcadia got two on with two out in their last time up, they could not rally back.
Drazkowski and Amaya Schlesser each went 3 for 4 in the defeat, while Madison Grotjahn finished 2 for 3 and Wozney was 2 for 4.
