Fort Atkinson at Brodhead
The Cardinals defeated Fort Atkinson on April 22 proving that a game isn’t over til it’s over. Brodhead was down throughout the entire game against the Blackhawks. Fort scored in both the first and third innings, but that was all the Cardinal defense would allow. Ronessa Stampfli had twelve strikeouts. Offensively, the Cardinals answered back in the fourth inning with one run when Amber Nelson hit a double down the right field line to plate Lindsey Smith. The team was still down one run in the seventh inning after quick three out innings by Fort in the fifth and sixth innings. With two outs, Shaun McCarville reached first on an error and then stole second. Megan Heepke came up and got a hit scoring Shaun to tie the game. Heepke stole second and third on wild pitches. Ronessa Stampfli had two strikes on her when she hit a gap between the right and center fielders to win the game, the final score being 3-2.
Brodhead at Clinton
Brodhead swept Clinton in a double header on Saturday, April 24, 5-0 in the first game and 12-3 in the second. In the one-hit shutout, four of Brodhead’s runs came in the first inning and then one more insurance run came in the third. Lindsey Smith led the team offensively in the first game with a single, a double, and two runs scored. Ronessa Stampfli had 14 strikeouts in the game. In game two, there was a huge third inning after Clinton tied he game 2-2, where eight of Brodhead’s runs crossed the plate. Shaun McCarville went 3x4 with four RBIs to lead the Cardinal’s offense. Ronessa Stampfli had nine strikeouts in five innings. Kate Earleywine pitched the sixth and seventh innings and had two strikeouts. The Cards’ defense only allowed six Clinton hits throughout the game. The next game for the Cardinal’s will be at home on Tuesday against Evansville.
Evansville at Brodhead
The Cardinals are now 7-0 in conference after beating Evansville 4-2 on April 27. Megan Heepke, who batted left-handed the entire game because of two broken fingers, went 2x3 to lead Brodhead’s offense. Heather Malcook had a good eye and drew two walks from Mosher in her appearances at the plate. The defense looked good throughout the game until the shaky seventh inning. Evansville’s four and five hitters had back-to-back singles, and then another single by the number seven hitter with one out made the score 4-2. The defense was able to shut them down after a strikeout and a ground ball to first to end the game.
Brodhead at Edgerton
The team traveled to Edgerton on April 29 and received their first conference loss, 0-3. Offensively, the team just could not get their bats going, and when there was a solid hit, it was right at Edgerton players. The next game for the Cardinals will be at Sun Prairie on Monday for a “battle of the Cardinals.”
Brodhead at Sun Prairie
The Cardinals are feeling back on track, despite a 2-1 loss to Division 1 Sun Prairie in 13 innings on April 3. Brodhead struck first in the third inning. Sun Prairie answered back in the sixth with one runner on base to score on a triple. The defense stopped a home run when Ashley Graves threw the girl out at home, keeping the game tied. In the thirteenth inning, Sun Prairie had a leadoff triple and then a base hit to end the game. Megan Heepke, Ashley Graves, Ashley Stampfli, and Jessica Kundert all had two hits leading Brodhead’s offense. Ronessa Stampfli had 11 strikeouts in the game. The defense was very solid overall. Both of Sun Prairie’s runs were earned. “If we play the way we did against Sun Prairie for the rest of the season, I think we will be just fine,” was what Ashley Graves said about the game.
Big Foot at Brodhead
The Cardinal softball team broke their losing streak by defeating Big Foot 10-1 on May 4. The Chiefs’ lone run came in during the fourth inning due to a leadoff double followed by a base hit. Three quick outs right after that ended the inning. On the other hand, Brodhead scored in the second, third, and fourth innings. Leading hitters for the Cards were Ashley Graves, 2x3, Jessica Kundert, 2x3 with an RBI, and Ronessa Stampfli, 2x2 with 2 RBIs. Heather Malcook and Megan Heepke also contributed two rbis in their at-bats. The next games for Brodhead will be a double header held on Saturday at home against Parkview, who also only has one conference loss.
Parkview at Brodhead (Double Header)
The Cardinals and the Vikings split their double header on Saturday, May 8. The score of the first game was 4-1 with the Cards on top. RBI doubles by Ashley Stampfli and Jessica Kundert were key in game one. In the second game, Brodhead was on top, 2-0, until the sixth inning when Parkview came up with three unearned runs to take the game 3-2. Parkview and Brodhead are still tied for first in the conference, both having two losses. The next game for the Cards is on Tuesday at home against Palmyra.
