Warhawks walk-off against Lake Mills

Note: Due to the Fourth of July deadline, this story won't appear in its entirety until the Thursday, July 12 edition of the Sheffield Press and Pioneer Enterprise.

 

SHEFFIELD — With “rally caps” on, the West Fork softball team loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning and Morgan Meier put down an RBI bunt to score the winning run, 9-8, in the Class 2A Region 5 opener at home.

 

When asked if she wanted to be in that pressure situation, Meier said she did.

 

“I just had a feeling that Makenna Amsbaugh would get on,” Meier said, “that (coach) would say suicide bunt and I’ve been waiting for that situation.

 

“I wasn’t too confident in my hitting based on my performance tonight, but I knew I had to do it for my team.”

 

And coach Abbee Dickman says that is the player she wanted in that situation.

 

“She’s a quiet leader,” Dickman said, “she doesn’t say an awful lot, her actions say everything and I was very happy to see her come up. She can usually bunt wherever she wants, so I told her down the first base line and she did a phenomenal job.”

 

It made up for the errors committed in the game for Meier, three in the first three innings that helped Lake Mills take its first lead of the game.

 

“I started to forget my errors and all that,” Meier said when she stepped into the batter’s box. “I’m just happy we won.

 

“It’s just so surreal right now, this moment, I’m just glad we won.”

 

Maddie Hubka reached base to lead off the seventh on a controversial call as it was ruled Lake Mills’ first baseman Kate Groe pulled her foot off the bag. Earlier in the game, the Bulldogs had the benefit of a similar call that led to a four-run second inning.

 

“Once Maddie Hubka got on base, I knew we’d be okay,” Dickman said. “I was a little worried when he called her out and then he called her safe. I felt bad, but at the same time, you know, it’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. I don’t know what happened over there, if she pulled her foot or if she didn’t. We knew we needed just one run..."

 

...West Fork’s reward for Monday’s win is another date with Central Springs, a team the Warhawks just faced on Friday, June 29.

 

“We know it is going to be tough,” Meier said. “We’re just going in giving it our all. You never know. We think we have a chance.”

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