Softball: Dundee-Crown’s Amanda Eissler gets win over familiar foe
Dundee-Crown came out on top Tuesday in both the family softball feud and the intradistrict softball feud.
Chargers pitcher Amanda Eissler got the victory over her cousin, Haley Widmayer of District 300 rival Hampshire, as the Dundee-Crown struck for four second-inning runs and then scored five in the final two innings to put away a 12-5 nonconference road victory.
“It’s a good family rivalry with my cousin pitching for the other team and me pitching on our side,” Eissler said. “It’s the first time we’ve ever been playing against each other.
“Before the game I said good luck, we’re going to kick some butt, and she told me, ‘I’d like to see you try.’”
Both teams’ bats did damage. For D-C, Mandy Moore produced the big hit in the second inning that brought the Chargers back from a 3-1 first-inning deficit. Her bases-loaded triple in a four-run second led to a 5-3 D-C lead, and the Chargers never trailed again in matching their season high for runs.
“I think we’ve been working really hard on mechanics and everything, so once we see the first pitch strike we attack,” Eissler said. “We’re more aggressive now.”
Protecting a 7-4 lead in the sixth, D-C got a leadoff double from Melany Love, walk to Moore and single from Jessica Lewandowski to load the bases. Then Mallory Schilf launched a two-run double in the gap in left-center that just tipped off the glove of center fielder Rebecca Vodraska after a long run and a leap for the ball.
In the seventh, D-C (6-12) put it out of reach when Cindy Collingbourne scored after doubling and Love scored after being hit by a pitch. An over throw at third base on Eissler’s infield grounder let both come home, then Eissler scored on Lewandowski’s RBI double.
“Jessica and Melany have been really consistent for us,” D-C coach Tracy Beatty said. “It seems like the entire team is gaining confidence with the bat.”
Vodraska had four hits for Hampshire and Jordan Hook drove in a pair of runs and had two hits. Tiffany Bentley and Jennifer Hurst both had doubles.
“We had Haley in the circle, a freshman, but she did really well,” Hampshire coach Ken Bram said after his team fell to 10-14. “It was more a case of our defense not holding up and us not being able to come up with the key hit when we needed it and they did.”
The Whip-Purs left nine on, including five the last three innings.
“We just have to play tighter defense,” Bram said. “We can’t give up that fourth out like we did in the seventh and the sixth because we were right in the game then.”
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