A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Carlton's Brynne Mickle makes a slide to third base, trying to beat a ball thrown by Cromwell-Wright's Sascha Korpela during Tuesday afternoon's matchup at Chub Lake Park.
Carlton's Isabella Anderson tags out Cromwell-Wright runner Alaina Lind during Tuesday's chilly matchup at Chub Lake Park.
At six wins and zero losses, the Carlton softball team is steaming through the season, at least as often as the weather allows.
The Bulldogs beat Cromwell-Wright 16-1 Tuesday, a game that ended in the fourth inning since Carlton was 15 runs ahead in a cold game at Chub Lake.
Carlton Coach Melissa Clark credited a strong junior class with leading the team.
"They're a very athletic bunch, and a lot of them have been starting for me since they were in the eighth grade," said Clark, in her fourth year of coaching Carlton. "That means lots of varsity experience from a young age, playing at a higher level of competition together for so long."
Clark said the team aims to keep a tight defense with as few errors as possible, combined with an aggressive offense.
"We're doing anything we can to get on base," she said. "Obviously the girls always want to hit, but we're disciplined enough to take walks, and we aim for smart but aggressive baserunning. We steal bases when they're there, or just make them think we will, to force their hand a little bit."
In Tuesday's game, Brynne Mickle led the Bulldogs to the win both on the pitching rubber and at the plate. Mickle gave up just one hit to the Cards and then tacked on two hits, scored twice and had two RBIs. Bella Anderson also had a big game with three hits including two triples and four RBIs for the Bulldogs. Taylor Nelson added a double and two hits with three RBIs and three runs scored.
The Cards lone hit came off the bat of Elisabeth Kachinske.
Weather has been a factor this spring.
Clark said having games canceled is frustrating for her players, who want to play even when the weather is cold and wet.
"Tuesday was a cold one, but with spring we've been having, you have to get out there and play in the cold sometimes to get the games in," Clark said.
Clark is looking forward to competition against Cherry, South Ridge and Thursday's game against Silver Bay, which was moved to Braun Park after Silver Bay got measurable snow this week.
"That will be a good benchmark game," she said.
A 2010 Carlton grad, Clark said it's really great coaching at her alma mater, "especially with girls who want to play and put a lot into the game."
"It's very rewarding," she said.
