WHEATLAND - Wheatland Lady Bulldog Softball started conference action off against the Cheyenne South Bisons last Thursday and posted wins for both the junior varsity and varsity teams.
This was the first game for the JV players, and they came out ready to dominate with a 29-12 victory. Both Eleni McKee and Delaney Aurich had a strong presence on the mound allowing only nine hits and six base on balls.
The team was able to put together 16 hits, 16 walks and only had one strikeout in the game. Sage McGee led the team going 4 for 4 with Megan Biggs and Delaney Aurich both following closely with three hits each.
The Varsity team came out on top of the Lady Bisons with a score of 20-8. Mackenzie Lockman pitched the entire game and only surrendered eight runs on 14 hits over the six innings while striking out seven. The Lady Bulldogs racked up 15 hits in the game with Rylee Coates going 3 for 3 at the plate.
Delaney Aurich, Macy Jones, Eleni McKee, Jayden McDaniel, and Mackenzie Lockman all had multiple hits in the game. The Bulldogs also had six stolen bases during the games with Camryn Mickelsen leading the way with three.
“It was quite exciting for both teams to clench their first conference win,” said head coach Jodie Fitzwater.
The Lady Bulldogs played their home opener last Friday, hosting the Laramie Lady Plainsmen.
The JV team started the day off with a very close and action-packed game. The team was able to get runners on with 5 walks with both Mekayla Garcia and Traylea Folan leading the team with hits. McKee pitched most of the game with Aurich coming in to relieve her.
“McKee was a strong force on the mound that only allowed four hits, three strikeouts, and two base on balls,” Fitzwater said. “The whole team made some impressive defensive plays on the field to help keep Laramie to 7 runs.”
The Lady Bulldog varsity team played a double header against the Lady Plainsmen as well. Sadly, the Bulldogs were unable to stop the strong offense by the Plainsmen in both games and lost with scores of 22-1 and 15-0.
In the first game, the Bulldogs saw the game slip away from them early and could not recover. The Bulldogs struggled to put runs on the board and had a tough time defensively containing LHS Lady Plainsmen and their strong appearances at bat. Adair, perhaps one of the best pitchers in the state for Laramie, only allowed two hits for the entire game.
One highlight for the game was when Camryn Mickelsen smacked a dinger in the fourth inning, giving the Bulldogs their only run of the game.
In the second game, the Bulldogs continued to struggle to put points on the board and had a hard time containing Laramie’s offensive attack. McKee got her first varsity start as pitcher for the Bulldogs, and pitched almost the entire game. She only allowed 12 hits and struck out four.
“The team was very proud of her ability to stay strong on the mound and not give up when Laramie was making consistent contact,” Fitzwater said. “The entire Bulldog coaching staff recognizes and praises the team’s ability to continue to work hard and not give up when they were faced with such a strong offensive and defensive presence from the opposing team.”
