Photo: Twitter/Winhawk SB
(KWMN)- The Winona Senior High School Winhawk softball team found themselves at the state tournament for a third straight season, facing Delano in the state quarterfinals.
The Winhawks were looking to add on to their streak, not only getting to state three years in a row but attempting to make the state championship game for a third year in a row as well.
The Winhawks earned the honors of being the home team with being the higher seed. Makayla Steffes was given the ball for the round one matchup and started off the top of the first inning with a three up-three down frame. In the bottom of the inning, Steffes led off with a single, putting the Winhawks in the driver seat early. Ava Hamsund followed suit with a single of her own and the Winhawks had two runners on with one out. They ended the inning unable to bring Steffes home from third, leaving two runners on, this would be a costly theme for the Winhawks throughout the game.
Through four and a half innings there was still no score, until Steffes doubled to center in the bottom of the fifth inning, and two batters later, Hamsund sent her home with an RBI single. The Winhawks could’ve piled on the runs, but sophomore pitcher for Delano, Kaitlyn Pink, battled from the circle and got out of the jam-the Winhawks left two runners on again.
The following top half of inning number six saw a very uncharacteristic start for Steffes from the circle, walking the two opening batters of the inning. Steffes battled back, forcing two pop outs. With two on and two out, Aubrey Wittwer for Delano stepped up to the plate. Wittwer hit a high pop up to shallow left center and it yielded trouble for the Winhawk defense. A miscommunication with shortstop Jillian Fitzgerald and center fielder Olivia Poulin led to the two colliding at the edge of the infield, and the ball dropping safely to the dirt, Sydney Pink trotted across home plate and the game was tied.
The game remained tied 1-1 entering the bottom of the seventh inning, with the Winhawks having a chance to win it. Lauren Kreckow opened the inning with a single, where Makenna Peshon came in to pinch run afterwards. The single was followed by a chopper in the infield that was misplayed, leading to Jillian Fritz reaching first safely. Makayla Steffes then entered the batter’s box, with a chance to end the game, but head coach Mitch Grossell opted for Steffes to bunt in order to advance the runners. Grossell most likely decided for this because he thought Steffes had a good shot at making it safely to first, but more so trusted his two, three and four batters that were due up. Steffes was thrown out at first, but the Winhawks had runners on second and third with one out. Macy McNally flied out to shallow right field, but it wasn’t far enough to advance Peshon home. Ava Hamsund came to the plate with two outs, and grounded out to shortstop–extra innings were next.
Hamsund came in to relieve Steffes inside the circle in the seventh inning, she stayed in that circle for the 8th. Delano led off the top of the eighth with a single, followed by an error that put two on and nobody out for the Tigers. A strikeout from Hamsund lead Grossell to load the bases with an intentional walk to ensure a force out at any bag. But Kaitlyn Pink singled to left, garnering an RBI and the lead for Delano. Hamsund got out of the inning without any more runs.
In the bottom half of the inning, needing a run to tie, and two runs to win, the Winhawks saw an ideal start, with Olivia Poulin scorching a ball through the right side of the infield. Mackenzi Simmons followed it up with a pop out, and Avery Engbrecht drew a walk. With two on and one out, Reese Nissalke popped out to first, leaving Lauren Kreckow at the plate, with the Winhawks life on the line. In a nine-pitch at bat, Kreckow fouled off six pitches, but it ended with a strikeout, and the game was over. Delano wins 2-1.
In total, the Winhawks left 10 runners on base. Throughout the game the feeling around the dugout was more anxiety than confidence, something that Mitch Grossell wasn’t expecting.
“We were very, very tight, which is unusual for us, this morning. We’re a lot looser group [Than this morning]. I hate to say it, but I think we were feeling a little pressure…” Grossell said after the game.
The tough pill to swallow for these Winhawks is how winnable a game this was, if they play this game ten times, they probably win nine times. Grossell continued to say, “Obviously we made a couple of miscues out there defensively, in state tournament games the other teams usually capitalize and that’s happened today. I mean we left 10 runners on base, that’s a lot of runners. We had chances to win the game, in the first inning if we get our bunt down, we win the game 1-0 in seven. We were very close, but not quite there, and that happens in big games.”
When asked about his message to the team after the loss, Grossell said, “I just told them it should hurt, it means something to you if it hurts, if it doesn’t, we shouldn’t be playing, I gave ’em 20 minutes to get rid of it and come back and start fresh.”
Although not the outcome this team was hoping for, there were still games to play in consolation bracket. Grossell said that he told his team that these consolation games should be treated as any other regular season game, and added that they’re here to have fun, but at the same time give their best effort.
The Winhawks faced the Academy of Holy Angels in the first of two rounds in the consolation bracket. They won the matchup 4-3, scoring four runs in the final two innings to get the job done, walking it off in the bottom of the seventh with an Ava Hamsund single that scored Jillian Fritz. They’ll now play Becker High School in the consolation championship today at 10:30 a.m. from Caswell Park in Mankato. It’s not the championship they were looking for when the tournament started, but maybe this team can find solace in getting revenge over Becker, the team they lost to in the 2021 state championship game.
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