News; Hauk,Timberland defense shut down St.Charles

The Wentzville Timberland girls softball team had two things going for it headed into Monday's GAC North opener with St.Charles at Kiwanis Park.

First,toeing the rubber for the Wolves was senior ace Morgan Hauk,who entered the game with a 0.55 earned run average,and second,St.Charles entered the game with an 0-11 record and a scoring average of just 1.8 runs per game.

Well,if the Pirates had hit the team's average,it still would have lost as Hauk and Co.blanked the Pirates 2-0.

"The way I look at it,a win's a win,"Timberland coach Brad Schellert said."Whether we win 1-0,2-0,it doesn't concern me.As long as we're hitting the ball hard."

Timberland (6-5) hit the ball hard right off the bat.

In the top of the first inning after a one out bunt single from Alex Adelsberger,Timberland's Brittany Rozier stepped to the plate and whacked a run scoring triple off St.Charles starter Elesha Klinghammer.

"It was a high inside pitch,"Rozier said."I guess I saw it well.I normally lay off the high stuff but I guess before that pitch I decided I was going to swing.It was nice.I was glad to start off big because I'd been struggling."

The only other bit of offense from the game came when the next batter,Erin Markham,grounded back to the pitcher and Rozier scored as the throw went to first for the RBI ground out.

From there,it was nothing but goose eggs on the board.

St.Charles (0-12) got a runner to second base for the first time in the bottom of the third inning with one out.That's when Rozier picked off the Pirates’ Erika Teson, who had just singled, at first base and then Alex Adelsberger snared a line drive off the bat of Hannah Slater to end the inning.

"I always know that they have my back on defense no matter what,"Hauk said."I don't have anything to be worried about there."

Timberland had some good chances of its own when the Wolves got a runner to third base with a lonely one out in both the fifth and sixth inning but the team failed to score either time.

Adelsberger reached third on a walk,stolen base and catcher's throwing error in the fifth but was left stranded when Rozier was call out for leaving base early and when Erin Markham popped to the shortstop to end the inning.

In the sixth,Kristi Kelly doubled to left center and moved to third with just one out.But Klinghammer fanned both Mel Mumma and Shelby Zytko to end that threat.

"We were frustrated because we couldn't get runs,"Adelsberger said."We would hit the ball well,it was just right to the other team."

The last chance for either side came in the bottom of the seventh when St.Charles loaded the bases with just one out.

One last sparkling defensive play saved the day for the Wolves.

That's when Adelsberger ranged to her left on a ground ball,tagged Kelsey Kuhn who was headed for second and then fired to first to get the third out and end the game.

"I just fielded it,tagged her out and threw to first,"Adelsberger said."I don't know.I just made the play."

Hauk picked up the win,going all seven innings.She gave up six hits,struck out nine and walked none.

Klinghammer suffered the loss for St. Charles,giving up both runs on six hits,while striking out seven and giving up two walks.

"They play hard but we've come up just short a couple of times,"St.Charles coach David Jones said."We played hard tonight and you'd like to see a little bit different of an outcome but Timberland did what they had to do."