The Waterloo softball team took on a pair of non-conference challenges last week. The Pirates took to the road to face Lakeside Lutheran on Monday, April 29 and hosted Jefferson, ranked No. 6 in Division 2 of the most recent Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association (WFSCA) coaches poll on Thursday, May 2. Both resulted in losses, 1-0 to the Warriors of Lakeside Lutheran and 9-0 to the Eagles of Jefferson.
Monday’s road trip was a strong performance from Waterloo freshman pitcher Ally Schaumann. It was a pitcher’s duel between her and Lakeside senior Kieghtan Rank. Schaumann was on fire, going six innings with seven strikeouts. She allowed seven hits, eventually leading to Lakeside’s one earned run in the bottom of the third inning. Rank threw a complete game shutout, though, allowing only four hits as she struck out nine Pirates.
Jefferson proved to be an even tougher challenge on Thursday. Schaumann did keep the Eagles scoreless for the first two innings, but they caught fire once they got through the batting order once. Jefferson launched three doubles and a triple to help score three runs in both the top of the third and fourth innings, two in the sixth, and one in the seventh. Waterloo, on the other hand, mustered just three hits in the shutout loss.
Sandwiched between these two losses was a bright spot, a dominant 13-3 home win over Wisconsin Heights on Tuesday, April 30. The Pirates won in only five innings as they scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning, three in the second, and four in both the third and fourth.
Senior catcher Brenna Huebner led the charge offensively, going 3-3 with a double and a drawn walk. This helped her drive in three RBIs and come in to score once herself. Joining Huebner with multiple RBIs was senior Bri Lauersdorf and freshman Callie Davison with two each. Davison hit a pair of sacrifice flies in her 2-2 performance with two runs scored. Lauersdorf came in to score three times herself. Senior Leeah Dorn and junior Alix McCarthy both also contributed one RBI each.
Schaumann split the pitching responsibilities with sophomore Nevaeh Lawson. Schaumann handled the first three innings without allowing a run, striking out four Vanguards in the process. Lawson took care of the last two innings, allowing three runs off of five hits. The offense had her back, though, as the game still ended early in a Waterloo win.
The Capitol — South conference victory keeps Waterloo deadlocked at the top of the standings with rival Marshall, both at 6-1. Overall, the Pirates are 11-7.
Waterloo will play its final Capitol — South conference game of the season on Tuesday, May 7 as it hosts Cambridge. The last time these two met, Waterloo won 10-2. The Pirates will then visit Lake Mills, ranked No. 7 in Division 2, on Wednesday, May 8. They’ll close the week by participating in a tournament at Mineral Point on Saturday, May 11.
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Capitol — South conference softball standings
(overall records in parenthesis)
-as of Monday, May 6
T1. Marshall, 6-1 (12-4)
T1. Waterloo, 6-1 (11-7)
3. Cambridge, 2-3 (4-6)
4. Wisconsin Heights, 1-4 (2-13)
5. Belleville, 0-6 (1-11)
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