On the Diamond: Jonesville baseball and softball battle Madison and Clinton
JONESVILLE — After a back-and-forth week five, the Comet varsity prep softball and baseball teams were back on the diamond for games against Clinton and Adrian Madison.
Softball
The Comet prep softball team would split games at home with the Clinton Redwolves and would sweep Adrian Madison in a doubleheader. The Comet varsity softball team and head coach Marlena Nichols battled the Redwolves in a low scoring contest in game one.
Senior Comet Mackenzie Baker started things off for Jonesville with an opening walk in the first inning. The senior would eventually make her way to first, where she would score on a Brooke Owen ground out. Senior Kierstyn Keller scored the next run for the Comets with a home plate stolen base.
The game would remain scoreless until the top of the seventh, where the Redwolves would score on an error before Comet pitcher Maddelyn Lee would earn the final out of the game.
Lee pitched all seven innings for the Comets in what would be one of her best pitching performances of the season. Lee gave up only one run and two hits while striking out 18 batters.
The Comets only managed six hits during the game, led by Addie Mclouth with two. Bre Thacker had one hit. Alexis Trine had one hit. Brooke Owen had one hit, one RBI and a stolen base. Kierstyn Keller had one hit and two stolen bases.
The Redwolves would bounce back in game two against the Comets. A 6-3 lead quickly became 15-3 after a seven run sixth inning that closed the game.
The Comets were unable to keep up with the strong hitting of the Redwolves, who had nine in total. The three hits from the Comets were from Kierstyn Keller, Lyra Nichols and Addie Mclouth. Both Keller and Nichols had double-base hits and scored one run. Abby Gutowski got on base for the Comets and scored once. Maddelyn Lee had an RBI ground out hit.
Keller, Nichols, Brooke Owen and Serenity Smiertka all had stolen bases for the Comets.
Lyra Nichols pitched five innings for the Comets, allowign six hits and three earn runs (eight total). Nichols struck out three batters. Addie Mclouth pitched in relief for one inning, allowing three hits and five earned runs (seven total). Mclouth struck out one batter.
The Comets then headed to Adrian for a doubleheader against Madison on Saturday, May 21. The Comet softball team swept Madison with a 15-7 score in game one and a 7-2 final score in game two.
Jonesville had 21 hits in the high scoring game. Addie Mclouth led the team with five total hits (including a double), four RBIs, and two runs scored. Brooke Owen had one of the major batting highlights of the two-game series. Owen had a home run in addition to another hit. Owen drove in three runs in total and led the Comets in individual scoring with four runs.
Alexis Trine had three hits (including a double), two RBIs and one run scored. Maddelyn Lee had three hits (including a double) and scored three times. Lyra Nichols had three hits, one stolen base and scored twice. Abby Gutowski had two hits and two RBIs. Kierstyn Keller had one hit, one run and two stolen bases. Gracen Hager had one hit, two runs and one stolen base. Mackenzie Baker had a double-base hit.
Lyra Nichols pitched all seven innings, allowing 10 hits, four earned runs and six strike outs.
Game two would be a much slower, low-scoring contest. The Comets would use a seven-run swing in the top of the fourth and fifth innings to earn the 7-2 victory.
Despite the low scoring contest, the Comets had 10 total hits. Maddelyn Lee led the Comets with three total hits, and she would score twice (one stolen base). Brooke Owen led the team in RBIs with three on two hits. Lyra Nichols had one hit, one RBI and one run scored. Abby Gutowski had one hit and a run scored. Kierstyn Keller had an RBI on a fly out. Mackenzie Baker had one run. Bre Thacker had one hit. Alexis Trine had one hit and one run scored. Gracen Hager had one hit, one run and a stolen base.
Maddelyn Lee pitched all seven innings for the Comets, allowing five hits, one earned run and struck out 17 batters.
The Comet varsity softball team will look to continue their strong pitching and batting with three potential doubleheaders this week. The Comets are scheduled to play Concord on Tuesday, May 24; Blissfield on Wednesday, May 25 and Olivet on Friday, May 27. All doubleheader games start around 4 p.m.
Baseball
Head coach Corey Rogers and the varsity Comet baseball team dropped both games to Clinton by final scored of 4-2 and 12-1.
It was a tough night of hitting for the Comets. A Wade Sommer RBI ground-out scored Ashton Thacker. Jaxson Phifer scored on an error. Bradley Wright had one hit. Thacker had one stolen base.
Tyler Scholfield started the game on the mound for the Comets and pitched through four innings. Scholfield allowed four hits and three earned runs.
Drew Bradley came in from the bullpen in relief for more than two innings, striking out two batters before the end of the game.
The 12-1 final score in the second game saw the Comets earn one hit and one run. Wade Sommers had one hit. Ethan Hammer scored the lone Comet run on a steal to home base.
Micah Calligan started the game for the Comets, allowing three hits and five earned runs. Bradley Wright pitched four innings from the bullpen. Wright would allow two hits and one run. Wright would strike out six batters. Jaxson Phifer earned a strike out while pitching from the bullpen. Ethan Hammer would also pitch in relief from the bullpen.
After the sweep, the Comets would regroup for a Saturday morning doubleheader against Adrian Madison. The road games saw the Comets split with Madison. Jonesville won game one with a 3-0 final score. Madison took game two in a 6-0 final.
Drew Bradley pitched all seven inning for the Comets, giving up only five hits and striking out six batters.
Jonesville had five total hits for the game. Bradley Wright had one hit and a stolen base. Ayden Males had one hit, one RBI, one run and a stolen base. Jaxson Phifer had one run. Wade Sommers had a RBI sacrifice. Ashton Thacker had one hit, one run and a stolen base. Tyler Scholfield had a double-base hit. Connor VanBuskirk had an RBI out and led the Comets with three stolen bases. AJ Bowers had one hit and a stolen base. Jaxson Phifer earned a double-play.
Game two saw the Comets earn five hits in the 6-0 loss. Tyler Scholfield led the team with two hits. Drew Bradley had one double-base hit. AJ Bowers had a hit. Wade Sommers had one hit. Connor Vanbuskirk was credited with helping get a double-play while fielding.
Three Comets would pitch during the game. Scholfield started the game, pitching four innings. Scholfield allowed two hits and struck out six batters. Wade Sommers came in from the bullpen, allowing two earned runs. Ayden Males pitched from the bullpen, allowing three hits and one earned run. Males had one strikeouts.
The Comets look to get back on the diamond with doubleheaders against Concord and Olivet this week. The Comets are scheduled to play Concord on Tuesday, May 24 and Olivet on Friday, May 27. All doubleheader games start around 4 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Comet ball clubs win games against Clinton and Adrian Madison
