The Northwood High School softball team got a pair of big wins over Clear Lake in a doubleheader Tuesday evening. The Evergreens won both games in five innings, 27-4 and 24-3, respectively.
NHS coach Beth Block said Clear Lake had some trouble because its No. 1 pitcher was injured during one of the games.
"They tried numerous pitchers but had a hard time in both games," Block said.
The Evergreens shot out to a big lead right away in the opening game. Northwood had seven hits and scored 16 runs in the first inning, while Clear Lake scored one run on two hits. The Evergreens never lost the lead, as they scored four runs in the second, five in the third and two in the fourth. Clear Lake added two runs in the third and one in the fifth.
Nine Northwood players got hits in the first game. Shauna Ruud was a perfect 2-for-2 with four runs scored, and Jocelyn Wehmhoefer went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
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Brenna Balcsik picked up the win in five innings of work, giving up five hits with six strikeouts and no walks. She also went 2-for-4 at the plate and scored three runs.
In the second game, Clear Lake scored three runs on four hits to start the first inning. Northwood was held scoreless in the bottom of the inning as Clear Lake retired the Evergreens' first three batters.
The Evergreens got back into form in the second inning, scoring eight runs on six hits to take an 8-3 lead. Clear Lake was held scoreless for the rest of the game, while Northwood added seven runs in the third inning and nine in the fourth to get the 24-3 win.
Balcsik had another strong hitting game as she went 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Ruud and Ashlee Blegen both were 2-for-3, with Ruud scoring four runs and Blegen scoring two. Charlie Ericson got the win in four innings of work, with five strikeouts, three balls and three hits.
Northwood also picked up a win in its home game against Solon Springs last Friday. The Evergreens won 9-2.
Wehmhoefer was 3-for-4 and scored three runs, while Blegen was 2-for-3 with one run scored. Taylor Fellbaum also scored two runs for the Evergreens.
Kayla Capuzzi and Leslie Zamzow scored the Eagles' pair of runs. Salann Gilbert also was 3-for-4 in the game.
The Evergreens will play Shell Lake at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Minong.
