Macie Weber tosses shutout, hits home run for Rockets

By Paul Lecker

Sports Reporter

SPENCER — The Spencer softball team began its defense of last year’s Cloverbelt Conference East Division title with a 4-0 shutout of Neillsville in its home and conference opener Tuesday at Spencer High School.

Macie Weber struck out seven, allowed only two hits, and hit a towering two-run home run to lift the Rockets to the victory. Spencer is now 2-2 overall and pushes its overall Cloverbelt East winning streak to 16, which dates back to the final conference game of the 2014 season.

“She did a great job of keeping runners off the bases and pitched very well,” Spencer coach Jason Gorst said. “We made a couple of defensive plays to go with that. Offensively, we had some timely hitting with runners in scoring position, and Macie’s home run was pretty big.”

Spencer got on the scoreboard in the second when Cinnamin Harwood singled, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a squeeze bunt by Courtney Buss.

The Rockets extended their lead to 2-0 in the fourth. Lindsay Vaughan singled, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a two-out single by Buss.

Weber ripped a two-run homer to centerfield in the fifth to provide the final score.

Weber seemed to be tiring in the sixth when she walked back-to-back hitters and uncorked a wild pitch in the top of the sixth. However, catcher Mandie Schultz raced to the backstop and tossed the ball back to Weber, who was covering the plate to get the final out of the inning.

Weber recovered and struck out the side in the seventh to finish off the shutout.

“It was a good, clean game. That’s definitely what you want, especially earlier in the season,” Gorst said. “We definitely need to hit up at the plate going forward.”

Spencer hosts Marshfield Columbus Catholic at 5 p.m. Friday.

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

Rockets 4, Warriors 0

Neillsville 000 000 0 – 0 2 1

Spencer 010 120 x – 4 6 0

WP: Macie Weber. LP: Kruitz.

SO: Kruitz 5; Weber 7. BB: Kruitz 1; Weber 2.

Top hitters: S, Weber HR, 2 RBIs; Cinnamin Harwood 2×3; Courtney Buss 2 RBIs.

Records: Neillsville 1-3, 1-1 Cloverbelt Conference East Division; Spencer 2-2, 1-0 Cloverbelt East.