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Petoskey softball earns first BNC win over Alpena, baseball takes another split

drew kochanny, the petoskey news-review
·4 min read
Petoskey's Brooke Bixby smiles down to head coach Dave Serafini during an at-bat in game one against Alpena.
Petoskey's Brooke Bixby smiles down to head coach Dave Serafini during an at-bat in game one against Alpena.

PETOSKEY — It’s amazing what stringing a few wins together can do.

Often, that small string strengthens into a chain as confidence grows, which is where the Petoskey softball team was after their opener Tuesday against Alpena.

Petoskey senior Laira Novenske sets up defensively at second base against Alpena.
Petoskey senior Laira Novenske sets up defensively at second base against Alpena.

Riding a string of four straight wins heading in, the Northmen welcomed in Alpena for their final home doubleheader of the 2022 campaign and extended that streak to five straight before dropping the nightcap after a 10-3 lead.

Petoskey earned a 17-7 victory in game one, their first Big North Conference victory of the season, then had the night end in a 12-11 comeback win for the Wildcats for a series split.

Petoskey moved to 12-14 overall on the season with the split.

Alpena jumped on Petoskey first in the opening inning of game one with a 5-0 lead, but back came Petoskey, tying things up at 5-5 heading to the third.

It was all Petoskey from that point, capped with a five-spot of runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Petoskey senior Raija Gross watches the pitch as she takes off from first base against Alpena Tuesday.
Petoskey senior Raija Gross watches the pitch as she takes off from first base against Alpena Tuesday.

Petoskey collected 17 hits for the game, with senior Brooke Bixby having a home run, single and two RBIs. Kenzie Bromley went 4-for-4 with an RBI, Aubrey Williams singled twice, tripled and drove in a run, Sammy Wodek went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI, Laira Novenske doubled, singled and drove in four runs and Danyelle Cadarette had an RBI double.

Raija Gross also had an RBI single, Lauren Klepadlo singled in two runs and Katelyn Wodek had an RBI.

Petoskey's Lauren Klepadlo (left) jokes with teammate Kenzie Bromley before an at-bat on what was Klepadlo's birthday Tuesday.
Petoskey's Lauren Klepadlo (left) jokes with teammate Kenzie Bromley before an at-bat on what was Klepadlo's birthday Tuesday.

Sammy Wodek also earned the pitching win behind six innings, six strikeouts and eight hits allowed.

In game two, Petoskey carried a 10-3 lead heading to the fifth, when Alpena then tied things up at 10-10 in a seven-run inning. The Wildcats took an 11-10 lead in the top of the sixth, Petoskey responded to tie it again, then it was seventh inning triple that brought home the winning run for the Wildcats.

Bromley had another perfect game, going 4-for-4 with a double, triple and three RBIs, Klepadlo singled twice, tripled and drove in a run, Bixby singled twice and had three RBIs, Morgan Leist singled and drove in two and Williams had an RBI single.

Petoskey senior Katelyn Wodek keeps an eye on a pitch while taking a lead from second base.
Petoskey senior Katelyn Wodek keeps an eye on a pitch while taking a lead from second base.

Katie Hansen went five innings in the circle, allowing seven hits and striking out seven, with just four of the 10 runs against coming earned. Petoskey totaled six errors in the field.

Petoskey returns to action on Tuesday, May 24 at Traverse City West, wrapping up BNC play.

BASEBALL

Petoskey at Alpena

ALPENA — The end of the Big North Conference slate of the schedule for the Petoskey baseball team should be a welcomed sight for the Northmen.

While they’re currently riding a 12-game win streak away from the league, their fortune hasn’t been as great against league foes and that continued Tuesday in Alpena.

The Northmen snuck out a split after dropping an 8-5 opener against the Wildcats, as they grabbed a fourth inning 3-2 lead on Alpena in the nightcap and held on from there for the win.

Petoskey moved to 16-7-1 overall on the season and 3-5 within the Big North.

In the opener, a seven-run second inning for the Wildcats eventually becomes too much for the Northmen to climb out of.

Parker Shuman took the loss on the hill after four and two thirds, allowing 10 hits, while striking out four. Tate Dohm also pitched in relief, striking out a pair.

Kolton Horn singled twice and drove in two runs, as did Jordan Troxel, while Shuman helped his cause with an RBI double. Nolan Spadafore, Grant Slater and Stephen McGeehan also all singled.

Game two came with Slater standing out on the mound for Petoskey, as he went all seven innings with just four hits and four walks issued. He also struck out seven in the victory.

Alpena did their job in holding Petoskey’s bats at bay as well, though Spadafore led with a pair of singles and an RBI, Trevor Swiss doubled, Tate Dohm had an RBI single and Jordan Laura also had an RBI.

Horn also kept an 11-game hit streak alive with a single.

Petoskey returns to the field this Friday, May 20 when they welcome in Midland Dow for a non-conference doubleheader, looking to build on that 12-game streak.

Contact Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey softball earns first BNC win over Alpena, baseball takes another split