Ste. Gen Wins Laughers, Valle Tops Heights
By ERIC X. VICCARO
EVICCARO@STEGENHERALD.COM
Ste. Genevieve High School softball coach Russell Toombs was allowed the luxury to play as many girls as possible during a pair of games last week.
Meanwhile, for Valle Catholic, starting pitcher Macy Wolk played her finest game to date in a 7-6 victory over Meadow Heights in non-league play last Wednesday at Patton.
Those were the highlights for the Dragons and Warriors fresh off participating in the Old Settlement Tournament the week before.
Wolk pitched her first complete game of the season, allowing six runs on seven hits and nine walks and one hit batter. She struck out five.
“The win over Meadow Heights was big for us,” said Valle Catholic head coach Kurt Basler. “They are in our district, so it should help district seedings. We played a good, all-around game. Macy threw strikes, and our defense made plays behind her. She’s been getting better each start, and starting to pitch deeper into most games.”
Ade Weiler went 1-for-1, and scored three times in as many plate appearances.
Kelsey Blum doubled and scored during the Warriors’ two-run first inning. Emily Flieg and Blum singled and scored in the fifth inning.
McKenna Bauman scored what proved to be the game-winning run in the sixth, as Meadow Heights sliced the Warriors’ margin of victory to one run in the bottom of the seventh.
Valle Catholic suffered a pair of losses to schools with much larger enrollments last week, falling to Park Hills Central 11-0 on April 12 and West County, 14-0, this past Friday.
Toombs enjoyed the opportunity to play as many girls as possible.
“To have some games that allow everyone some playing time is invaluable,” Toombs remarked. “All these athletes work very hard every day to make the team better. For them all to get some playing time is great.”
The Dragons won a pair of laughers over Bourbon on April 13 and away at Leopold on April 15. Ste. Genevieve ended the week with a hard-luck, extra-inning loss on the road at Oran, falling 7-6.
Oran plated the game-winning run on a bunt single that Dragon third baseman Mia Schweigert attempted to make a play on.
Izzy Basler scored on a Brittney Kreitler single to give Ste. Genevieve a 6-0 lead in the fourth inning — before Oran eventually rallied to deadlock the score with two runs in the bottom of the seventh.
“Oran is always a tough team,” Toombs noted. “Their coach has been around for a number of years, and always puts a quality team out on the field. We had some opportunities to win it; but, it just didn’t swing our way.”
In the only home game of the week versus Bourbon, Brynna Wehner earned the win inside the circle — pitching three innings. She allowed four runs (none earned) on three hits and two walks while striking out a career-best five.
Ava Meyer and Hope Schmelzle pushed across three runs each while Izzy Basler, Autumn Basler, Emma Johns and Briana Watts scored twice.
Chloe Walker and Watts both produced three RBI. Schweigert, Kreitler and Izzy Basler all had two RBI — and the Dragons finished with 13 hits in all.
