Streaky Tigers need to shake off crushing defeat

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The New Richmond softball team isn’t used to losing.

You can imagine the shockwaves that ran through the minds of the Tigers following their 19-1 loss on Monday to Amery. This was the final regular season game for the Tigers. They begin WIAA Division 2 tournament play on Tuesday at 4 p.m., with a home game against Somerset.

The winner of Thursday’s game will play in the second round of regionals next Tuesday.

The Tigers will need to regroup quickly for the tournament season after the crushing loss administered by Amery. Amery was playing for a share of the conference title, which had been the Tigers’ private property for the past four years. The Tigers had nothing to play for in Monday’s game and it showed.

Amery broke the game open with eight runs in the second inning. Amery turned the game into a rout by scoring nine times in the sixth inning.

Tiger coach Becky Ahlbrecht said she was not happy because of the walks and mental mistakes by the Tigers. Throws missing cutoffs, infielders not charging balls, poor discipline at the plate: there were problems everywhere for the Tigers.

The team has been extremely streaky in recent weeks. When they’ve played well, the Tigers can play with any team in the area. But when they play poorly, they are susceptible against any team they face.

The Tigers showed how well they can play in a pair of games in a tournament at Bloomer on Saturday. The Tigers bashed Augusta, 15-1 in the opening round. They totaled 16 hits in the win, led by Ashley Peterson and Dani Lagerstrom with three each. Billie Jo Germain came through with a double and a triple. Lagerstrom drove home four runs.

Alisha Milbrandt earned the pitching win against Augusta, allowing one run in five innings of work.

The Tigers then faced Bloomer, the team that received the top seed in the WIAA Division 2 regional bracket. This was an excellent game, with Bloomer holding off the Tigers 6-4.

Bloomer broke a 3-3 tie with three runs in the sixth inning. The Tigers got one run back in the seventh inning and had the bases loaded. Germain then ripped a line drive up the middle, but the Bloomer second baseman was able to make a diving catch for the final out of the game.

“That was one of the most consistent games we played,” Ahlbrecht said.

Last Friday the Tigers hosted Hudson. The Raiders didn’t overwhelm the Tigers, but they did the little things correctly. The Raiders scored in five different innings to beat the Tigers 8-2.

Elise Ulrich took the pitching loss against Hudson. The Tigers had six hits in the loss to Hudson, with Kristy Martinson getting three of the hits.

The Tigers were officially knocked out of contention for the MBC championship last Thursday when they lost at home to Ellsworth, 8-3.

This was another game where the Tigers struggled at the plate. They were held to five hits, with Lagerstrom getting three of them. Lagerstrom accounted for all the Tigers’ runs when she hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning.

That put the Tigers ahead 3-2. Ellsworth then struck back with five runs in the sixth inning.

Milbrandt started against Ellsworth. Ulrich took the loss in relief. Ahlbrecht said both pitchers are dealing with arm fatigue after the team’s recent heavy schedule of games.

Tags: new richmond, sports, softball, amery