The Waterloo softball team cleared a massive hurdle early in the 2024 season. The Pirates avenged a pair of losses to rival Marshall from the season prior, handing them a 2-1 walk-off loss on Monday, April 8. Following the pride of victory came a humbling defeat.
The day following, the Pirates made the trip to face Columbus on Tuesday, April 9 and left with a 12-6 loss. Instead of allowing this non-conference stumble derail progress, Waterloo turned on the jets. The Pirates proceeded to launch into a three-game path of destruction. Victims of their dominance included Wisconsin Heights, which suffered a 20-0 loss on Thursday, April 11, North Fond du Lac which kept things a bit closer in a 4-0 loss on Friday, April 12, and Belleville on Monday, April 15 by a margin of 16-0. This total 40-0 margin over three games becomes even more impressive for Waterloo considering every game was played on the road.
The Pirates were locked in for Thursday’s trip to Wisconsin Heights, just their second Capitol — South conference game of the new season. It was a slow start in the top of the first inning with one run. Then came five in the second. The dam finally broke in the top of the third as Waterloo strung together 14 runs to end the game after only three innings.
Seniors Brenna Huebner, Katrina Freund, and Leeah Dorn as well as sophomore Emma Baumann all connected on doubles and senior Ashlyn Albrecht launched a triple. Freund was a perfect 4-4 at the plate with four RBIs. Albrecht, Huebner, Baumann, and freshman Ally Schaumann all drove in two RBIs.
Schaumann, who doubles as the team’s pitcher, was just as impressive in the pitching circle. She held the host Vanguards scoreless in her three innings of work, allowing only two hits with two strikeouts and one walk surrendered.
Schaumann had to pitch a full seven innings in Waterloo’s ensuing trip to North Fond du Lac, but she had similar levels of success. She only allowed three hits this time around. No Orioles came in to score and Schaumann struck five of them out.
Her offense bought her some insurance by scoring one run in the top of the second inning and three more in the top of the third. A pair of North Fond du Lac errors gifted the Pirates their opening run. Baumann reached base safely to open up the inning with an error at shortstop on a grounder. With two outs on the board, that same shortstop made an error on another grounder from senior Bri Lauersdorf. Baumann hustled home to make it a 1-0 ballgame.
Waterloo came out swinging in the top of the third. Freshman Callie Davison led off by beating out a bunt up the third base line. Huebner pushed her over to third base with a booming double to left field. Errors hit the middle infield once again for North Fond du Lac as Freund’s well-hit grounder was mishandled, allowing Davison to come score. The bats remained hot as Baumann launched a double to score Huebner and junior Alix McCarthy singled to left field to score Freund. This proved to be all the Pirates needed offensively as Schaumann shut the Orioles down for the 4-0 win.
The Pirates returned to Capitol — South play and jaw-dropping offensive dominance on Monday with a trip to Belleville. This game also only lasted three innings as Waterloo scored five runs in the top of the first inning and 11 more in the top of the second.
Schaumann pitched the first two innings. She did not allow a single hit, striking out four of the six batters she faced. Her replacement, sophomore Navaeh Lawson, didn’t allow a single hit either. She struck out two of the three batters she faced to put a bow on Waterloo’s defensive dominance.
Dorn was the star of the show at the plate with three RBIs. She was walked with the bases loaded for her first and punched in a two-run single to follow. Sophomore Marissa Spoke, the walk-off star of the Marshall win, was the only other Pirate with multiple RBIs with two. Freund, Baumann, McCarthy, Schaumann, and Lauersdorf all batted in one. Seven of Waterloo’s 16 runs on the afternoon came by way of Belleville’s five errors.
This dominant stretch leaves Waterloo with a 5-2 overall record, including a spotless 3-0 mark in Capitol — South conference competition. The Pirates will continue their long road stand with a trip to conference rival Cambridge on Thursday, April 18. They’ll finally return home on Saturday, April 20 for a four-team tournament against Deerfield, Lomira, and Mineral Point.
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