Raider softball rakes in six victories

Williamsburg fell from the ranks of the softball unbeatens last week, but their loss to a ranked team two classes above them shouldn’t keep the Raiders from being ranked No. 1 in this week’s Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union Class 3A poll, especially with a win over the No. 2 ranked team in their class in the same tournament.

The first blemish for Williamsburg this season after a 13-0 start? A 6-3 loss to Class 5A No. 7 Muscatine in the Muskie tournament Friday, June 9, at Muscatine Kent-Stein Park.

Williamsburg got off to a good start offensively, scoring one run in the first inning and two more in the second, but they couldn’t hold either of those leads and were shut out the rest of the way.

Two big two-out hits by the Muskies, scoring two runs in each the second and fourth innings, was a game changer.

“Muscatine is a good team with tough outs all the way through the lineup, and a returning all-state pitcher. Definitely a title contender in 5A,” said Williamsburg coach Adam Berte. “We could have done some things better, but in the end we just didn't hit enough balls hard to keep scoring with them.”

The Raiders managed just five hits, three of those by junior Shannon Finn, who drove in one run and scored twice. Carly Rich added an RBI single.

Freshman Jersey Metz took the loss, giving up eight hits over six innings and walking one.

“Jersey battled and I thought did really well after the second inning keeping them off balance,” coach Berte said.

Williamsburg bounced from the Muscatine loss on Saturday to beat Davenport Assumption and Cedar Rapids Prairie, raising their record to 15-1.

The Raiders edged the Knights 4-3 in a No. 1 versus No. 2 3A showdown.

Williamsburg jumped out to a 3-0 lead, scoring once in the first inning on an RBI fielder’s choice by Alley Gorsh and twice in the second on a Peyton Driscoll double and two Assumption throwing errors.

The Knights cut that lead to 3-2 in the third inning and each team scored once in the sixth, the Raiders on Shannon Finn’s RBI ground out, plating Metz who was running for Driscoll following her second double of the game.

Driscoll went the distance in the circle, scattering seven hits, plunking a batter and striking out three.

The Raiders erupted for 10 hits in an 8-5 win over Prairie to close out the tournament.

Jenna Thurm was 3-for-3 with one RBI, Elle Ridgeway 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI, Kalon Spratt 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI, and Finn, Metz and Taylor Pitlick all 1-for-3.

Metz was the winning pitcher. She gave up nine hits, didn’t walk anyone and struck out seven.

SWEEP WEST DELAWARE

The Raiders improved to 10-0 in the WaMaC Conference by taking both ends of a doubleheader Wednesday, June 7, at home against the Hawks.

Williamsburg won the opener 6-0 as Driscoll pitched as one-hit shutout, striking out 12.

The Raiders collected eight hits, led by a 3-for-3 performance from Spratt with two doubles and three RBI.

Williamsburg pounded out 10 hits in the nightcap to win, 10-6.

Finn went 3-for-4 with a double, three RBI and three runs scored, Ridgeway was 2-for-2 with a home run and six RBI, and Rich 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Pitlick also homered and Baylier Von Ahsen doubled.

DOMINATE SOUTH TAMA

The Raiders rolled to a pair of three-inning, mercy run rule victories over the Trojans Monday, June 5, at Tama.

Williamsburg drew 17 walks, three each by Finn and Rylie Metz, and had seven hits in a 23-2 Game 1 rout.

Von Ahsen and Spratt had two hits apiece and between them drove in seven runs. Rich and Thurm each had one hit and two RBI.

Gorsh hit her first career home run, a two-run shot, and the Raiders walked nine more times in a Game 2, 12-0 victory.

Pitlick added a two RBI base hit and Taylor Sanchez doubled to drive in a run.

In the circle, Jersey Metz and Sloan Curtin combined on a one-hitter in the first game and Spratt and Curtin hooked up for a two-hit shutout in the second game.