Marisa Johnson hits two home runs, Rockets’ 15-game win streak snapped

By Paul Lecker

Sports Reporter

ATHENS — The Spencer softball team rallied from a five-run deficit to force extra innings but had its 15-game winning streak snapped after a 12-11 loss in a wild nonconference game Tuesday at Athens.

Athens (14-5) led 6-1 after three innings before Spencer (15-3) rallied to take an 8-7 lead after scoring four times in the fourth and three times in the fifth.

Athens came back with three runs in the bottom of the fifth only to see the Rockets score single runs in the sixth and seventh to force extra innings.

After Spencer scored once in the eighth on Lindsey Vaughan’s first career home run, the Bluejays scored twice in the bottom of the inning to pull out the win.

“We played a game like this Saturday against Marathon. Unfortunately, we came out on the other side of it tonight,” Spencer coach Jason Gorst said. “That being said, I am super proud of the girls’ effort and their unwillingness to give up. We battled back, and I think that says a lot about our character.”

Marisa Johnson hit two home runs and drove in four, and Mandie Schultz had three hits and two RBIs for Spencer.

Kyncaide Diedrich earned the win for Athens on the mound, struck out nine, and added a single, a double, a triple and scored three times. Emily Czech had four hits and four RBIs, and Alexa Gajewski had four hits and drove in two for the Bluejays.

Spencer plays at Owen-Withee on Thursday and hosts Loyal/Granton on Friday.

(Hub City Times Sports Reporter Paul Lecker is also the publisher of MarshfieldAreaSports.com.)

Bluejays 12, Rockets 11 (8 inn.)

Spencer 100 431 11 – 11 13 3

Athens 231 130 02 – 12 13 4

WP: Kyncaide Diedrich. LP: Miles Weber.

SO: Weber 9; Diedrich 10. BB: Weber 4; Diedrich 4.

Top hitters: S, Marisa Johnson 3×5, 2 HRs, 3 runs, 4 RBIs; Brooke Kettleborough 2×5, 2 RBIs; Mandie Schultz 3×5, 2 RBIs; Liz Baehr 2×5, 2B; Colleen Arnold 2B; Lindsey Vaughan HR. A, Diedrich 3×4, 3B, 3 runs, 2 RBIs; Emily Czech 4×5, 2B, 3B, 2 runs, 4 RBIs; Alexa Gajewski 4×5, 2B, 2 runs, 2 RBIs.

Records: Athens 14-5; Spencer 15-3.