BELOIT—With the graduation of All-State honorable mention pitcher Ryleigh Rose and some much younger arms in line to take her place, the Beloit Turner softball team understood it would have to step up on the offensive side this year.
So far, so good.
After pouring on 11 runs in a season-opening win against East Troy, the Trojans blew out Delavan-Darien by plating 24 runs in a three-inning, shutout victory on a seasonably cool and sunny Friday evening.
“We had a strong group of girls that could hit really well coming into this year,” sophomore catcher Maddy Hoenig said. “Having people that can make solid contact really helps our team.”
And make contact Turner did. The Trojans piled up 16 hits and took advantage of five errors from a struggling Comets’ program that hasn’t won a game since 2019 and recently moved from the Southern Lakes Conference to the Rock Valley Valley Division.
The win followed a week full of postponements and indoor practices due to rain, snow and cold conditions. Turner’s win over East Troy came eight days before they could take the field again.
“Like everyone else, we’re just glad we could play today,” head coach Brian Maxwell said. “Being in the gym has been brutal. We share the same gym with track and baseball, and everyone gets different rotations. But you can only do so much. You can't do any outfield. And we have JV with us. So, you have 24 girls in a gym. Half a middle school gym is tiny. It's been hard, and they've been antsy.”
The Trojans got rid of that restlessness with a 10-run first inning. Hoenig ripped a two-run double to right and Emma Bue’s hard hit went past the right fielder and to the fence for a two-run inside-the-park-homer. A fifth run came across on an error before Kennedy Crall hit a one-run infield single. Cacee Carl and Madyn Saunders added RBI groundouts, Sammi Schleis scored a runner on a single and Hoenig scored on a wild pitch to put the Trojans (2-0) into double digits.
“The bats have been there for us,” Maxwell said. “And it’s literally been from top to bottom. We just got the nerves out. They're not used to playing. It was (freshman) Kennedy (Crall's) first time ever at short and she did fantastic.”
An eight-run second inning was highlighted by a one-run single from Autumn Meris, a two-run double from Genna Brown and an RBI double by Crall.
Crall had a team-high three hits with three runs and three RBI.
“I’ve played with Kennedy my whole travel softball career,” said Hoenig, who went 2-for-4. “And she's always been a solid base-hit type of girl. She makes solid contact.”
RBI singles from Bue, Crall, Kamryn Clark and Carl helped put up six more runs in the third.
Saunders, a freshman making her second start, allowed one hit and one walk with four strikeouts in two innings.
“Maddyn is young, but she still makes good pitches and gets strikes,” Hoenig said. “She has a really good rise ball and we haven't thrown it a lot yet. But throughout the season I think it's going to become one of her top pitches.”
Freshman Lauryn Wells threw the final frame and didn’t allow a baserunner while getting a strikeout.
Maxwell was glad to get the frosh an inning with sophomore Jayden Pozzani, expected to be a starting pitcher this season, still out from an arm injury suffered in a scrimmage against Beloit Memorial.
“I loved getting Lauren an inning because with Jayden Pozzani still on the mend, timetables undetermined, you never know when we're going to need it,” he said. “And just getting the nerves out today was good.”
The Trojans will next travel to face Division 3 State Champion Brodhead on Tuesday.
BELOIT TURNER 24, DELAVAN-DARIEN 0 (3 inn.)
Delavan-Darien 000 — 0 1 5
Turner 10 8 6 — 24 16 0
Leading hitters: D-D, Lumkes 1x1. BT, Schleis 2x3, 3 runs, 1 RBI; Saunders 0x1, 1 RBI; Hoenig 2x4, 3 runs, 2 RBI; Bue 2x3, 2 runs, 3 RBI; Meris 2x3, 3 runs, 2 RBI; Brown 1x3, 3 runs, 3 RBI; Crall 3x4, 3 runs 3 RBI; Clark 2x4, 2 runs, 1 RBI; Carl 2x4, 2 runs, 3 RBI.
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): D-D, Lumkes (L) 3.0-16-24-13-2-1. BT, Saunders (W) 2.0-1-0-0-1-4, Wells 1.0-0-0-0-0-1.
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