Penguins hit .500 with a pair of victories

HARTINGTON — The Hartington Penguin 18U softball team continued to prepare for the upcoming Class D State Tournament with a couple of wins in regular season action over the past week.

The Penguins outlasted Wakefield on June 11 in a game played here in Hartington then hit the road to defeat Randolph 17-0 on June 13.

“Overall, I think we’re kind of in the same spot, we have everything we need to win except offense,” Penguin’s skipper, Brice Grutsch said. “On the bright side, I do think we are improving in that area. Our approach at the plate is getting better and I can see they are hitting the ball better even if they don’t get on base. The contact is better and there’s fewer strikeouts.”

On June 13, Hartington traveled to take on a young Randolph team and downed the team for the second time this summer, this time 17-0 after winning a 12-4 contest earlier in June.

“We got a lead and got lots of girls playing time,” Grutsch said. “We had nine hits which is a little better but there’s still room to improve.”

The Penguins scored five runs in the first inning, added three in the second, five more in the third and put the game away with four in the fourth and what turned out to be final inning.

Meanwhile, Alexys Hahne and Kiersten Hans held Randolph to a single hit in the circle with each pitching two innings.

Hans struck out two, Hahne had four strikeouts and picked up the win.

“Kiersten is just a 12 and under and she threw the ball pretty well for us,” Grutsch said. “And Mani Lange had an inside the park homerun, the girls got pretty excited about that.”

Hahne helped her own cause in the first fame with a bases-loaded double to score Mani Lange and Hadley Vaness after Lange was hit by a pitch and Vaness drew a walk.

Hazel Hochstein drew a walk to re-load the bases then Jade Ford walked to send Nora Lange home.

Olivia Grutsch singled over the shortstop’s head scoring Hahne and Hochstein and the first half inning ended with the Penguins in front 5-0.

Three consecutive singles by Vaness, Nora Lange and Hahne plated three runs in the second.

Jade Ford, Grutsch, Lia Meisenheimer, Vayda Lippert and Mani Lange all scored in the third, Meisenheimer and Lange on Lange’s homer.

A Hans double in the fourth into left field scored Vaness and Nora Lange. Hans eventually scored on a ground out and Natalee Hart stole home after walking to round out the Hartington scoring.

Emilie Claussen provided the excitement at the end of the game against Wakefield.

The game was tied at the end of regulation so each team opened the sixth with a runner on second.

Hahne came on and held Wakefield scoreless in its half of the sixth and the Penguins opened the inning with Hochstein on second base.

Hochstein stole third and Claussen stepped to the plate and slapped a single past second base to score Hochstein and win the game.

Wakefield seemed to be cruising along, leading 5-0 heading into the Penguin half of the fourth.

Hartington grabbed a run in the fourth but Wakefield added three runs in the top of the fifth to go up 8-1 heading into the bottom of the frame.

Hartington erupted for seven runs in the fifth highlighted by a Nora Lange triple with the bases loaded, to tie the score and force extra innings.

The Penguins are scheduled to take on Osmond in a couple of games, on June 18 in Hartington and on June 20 in Osmond.

Hartington 18U defeat Randolph 18U 17-0 H 535 4XX X - 17 9 0 R 000 0XX X - 0 1 2 WP: Alexys Hahne LP: NA 2B: Alexys Hahne, Kiersten Hans (H). HR: Mani Lange (H). Hartington Penguins defeat Wakefield 9-8. W 310 130 X - 8 9 0 H 000 171 X - 9 3 0 WP: Alexys Hahne LP: NA 2B: Wakefield. 3B: Nora Lange (H).