In high school softball, with two dozen regular season games, and even more for those teams talented enough to make the playoffs, the phrase “you can’t win them all” is a cliché, a truism accepted as fact. As such, most losses are taken in stride, part of the expected ebb and flow over the normal course of a season.
But some losses hurt more than others, and for the Lady Wolverines, who dropped a nail biter to conference foe Madison Friday, April 8, this one really stings.
Although Madison has, over the past five seasons, owned the Lady Wolverines, besting Polk in each of their last nine meetings, Friday’s contest had a different feel. Sporting an 11-2 overall record, with six conference victories already in the bag, head coach Jeff Wilson’s squad stepped off the bus in Marshall with no small measure of confidence.
Madison jumped in front early, posting a unearned run as their leadoff hitter reached on an error, took second on a wild pitch and then third on a passed ball, and finally scored on a fielder’s choice to make it 1-0 after the first inning.
After a scoreless second and third, Polk’s bats came alive in the fourth. With one out, Jamie Hrobak stepped to the plate and crushed a double to the fence in deep left center. Cassie Couch followed with a base hit, putting Polk runners at the corners. After Kara Garvin legged out a bunt to load the bases, Shea Wheeler drove a sacrifice fly to center for an RBI, and following a Madison error that allowed Couch to score from third, Polk found itself on top 2-1.
The Lady Wolverines threatened to add to their lead in the top of the sixth, as Hrobak reached on a walk and Garvin and Wheeler both singled to load the bases with just one out. However, Polk came up empty, as Madison fireballer Allie Leake pitched her way out of the jam, striking out the next two batters to end the inning.
The game’s turning point came in the bottom of the sixth. With one out and runners at the corners, Madison’s Carrie Gentry stepped to the plate and launched a Hrobak pitch through the gap in left-center for a two RBI double, giving the lead back to the Lady Patriots with just one inning remaining.
With the top of the order coming up in the seventh, the Lady Wolverines were down but not out. Polk’s chances, however, evaporated after back-to-back questionable calls by the home plate umpire. After leadoff hitter Shalyn Brown was called out on strikes looking at an ankle-high pitch, Polk’s speedster Amber Lynch laid down a perfect bunt and reached first base safely, only to be called out for stepping out of the batter’s box. One out later, the game ended with the Lady Patriots on top 3-2.
With the loss, the Lady Wolverines fall to 11-3 on the season, and 6-2 in Western Highlands conference play.