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Craig wins, Parker falls in Big Eight softball openers

Big Eight Conference softball openers brought mixed results for Janesville Craig and Janesville Parker.

Craig High, behind Erica Mortensen’s two-run double in the bottom of the fifth inning, rallied to beat Sun Prairie, 7-5, here Thursday at Dawson Field.

Parker managed only one hit in a 4-0 loss at Beloit Memorial.

Craig (2-0, 1-0) trailed 4-1 before scoring score four runs in the second inning to take a 5-4 lead. Gabrielle Cassady, who homered in the first inning, drove in two runs to cut the lead to one, and Jillynn Mortensen’s single tied the game at 4-4.

With the game tied at 5-5 in the fifth, Erica Mortensen laced a one-out double to score Lindsey Oliver and Kelly Moench.

Craig’s Audrey Freeman worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fifth, and then worked two scoreless innings to pick up the win.

“It was a good win for us against a pretty decent Sun Prairie team,” Craig coach Dan Bayreuther said. “We swung the bats fairly well, and Audrey came on a did a great job on the mound.”

Craig hosts Waunakee in a nonconference game at 4 p.m. today at Dawson Field.

CRAIG 7, SUN PRAIRIE 5

Sun Prairie 130 010 0—5 11 2

Janesville Craig 140 020 x—7 10 2

Rodenkirch, Running (6) and Burns; Whittaker, Owens (4), Freeman (5) and Cassady.

Leading hitters—Rodenkirch (SP) 2x3, Nickerson (SP) 2x4, Weber (SP) 2x4, Cassady (C) 2x3, J. Mortensen (C) 2x3, Moench (C) 2x4, E. Mortensen (C) 2x3. 2B—Rodenkirch (SP), Nickerson (SP), Molitor (SP), E. Mortensen (C). HR—Cassady (C).

SO—Rodenkirch (SP) 3, Running (SP) 2, Whittaker (C) 3, Owens (C) 1, Freeman (C) 2. BB—Rodenkirch 4, Running 3, Whittaker 1, Owens 2.

n Beloit 4, Parker 0—Ally Goecks shut down the Vikings on one hit in Jenni Seisser’s coaching debut for Parker.

Beloit scored two runs in the second inning to give Goecks all the support she needed. The senior struck out 15 and walked four.

“We just couldn’t catch up to her,” Seisser said of Goecks. “We’re a team that needs to try and manufacture runs, and we didn’t have a whole heckuva a lot of chances to do that today.

“It was the first varsity game for a lot of our girls, and so I’m sure they were fighting a few nerves.”

Parker sophomore Maggie Tracey struck out five and allowed only five Beloit hits. Tracey also singled in the second inning for the Vikings’ only hit.

The Vikings host Fort Atkinson and Milton in nonconference games Saturday, beginning with the Blackhawks at noon at Dawson Field.

BELOIT 4, PARKER 0

Janesville Parker 000 000 0—0 1 1

Beloit Memorial 020 011 x—4 5 0

Tracey and Garber; Ally Goecks and Masterson.

Leading hitters—Selhausen (BM) 2x3. 2B—Selhausen (BM), Goecks (BM) 2.

SO—Tracey (JP) 5, Goecks (BM) 15. BB—Tracey 7, Goecks 4.