Wyandotte Softball Suffers First Loss of Season with Split Doubleheader Against Riverview

Saturday’s doubleheader against the Riverview Pirates ended in a split, giving the Wyandotte Bears varsity softball team their first loss of the season.

The Bears lost the first game the doubleheader 4-1 and won the second game 7-3.  

The split pushes their record to 6-1. 

Senior Madison Brewer pitched both games. The Bears had seven hits in the first game, but only brought one run across the plate. Sophomore Rachel Zimmers scored on a passed ball in the fourth inning, but the game was primarily controlled by the Pirates.

The second game saw an awakening of sorts, something Wyandotte Coach Jackie Jagiello said would not have happened in previous years. 

“In the past, we would have lost both of these games instead of winning the second,” Jagiello said. “After the first game, we talked to the girls and got our act together.”

After a scoreless first inning, Wyandotte put up three runs in the second inning on a two-run double by junior Jamie Szczechowski and a double by sophomore Tracy Shuryan. Zimmers added a one-run double in the third inning and Wyandotte had staked itself to a 4-1 lead. 

The two teams went scoreless in the fourth inning but Wyandotte once again mounted an offensive attack when Zimmers smashed a ball off the center field fence to gather another RBI. Senior Allison Bell then hit a short single to center field, scoring Zimmers and putting the Bears up 6-1. The Pirates added two in the bottom of the fifth inning to bring the deficit to three, but Brewer had all the offense that she needed. The Bears added another run in the seventh inning and won 7-3. 

Brewer pitched the full game in game two, giving up three runs and recording five strikeouts. 

“In the first game, we weren’t as confident,” Brewer said. “In the second game, we were much better hitting and more confident up at the plate.” 

The second game wasn’t just about their patience at the plate, though. The Bears made multiple big defensive plays, including a leaping catch by sophomore Amelia Czarnota in the fourth inning. Czarnota plays third base, her first year at the position. She played second base and outfield in the past, but the transition to third base has been smooth so far. 

“I’ve been working on making plays because of this being my first year at third base,” Czarnota said. “My main focus at practice has been working on ground balls.”

While comparing this year’s team to last year’s team, Jagiello said the current team has better chemistry. 

“We have improved quicker and we are playing more as a team this year," she said.

A Look Back

The Bears played Taylor Truman on Tuesday winning 4-2. The game was made up from being canceled on Monday. Wyandotte also played rival Southgate on Thursday winning 3-2.

A Look Ahead

This week's schedule features two critical games. Monday's home game is against Trenton and Wednesday's away game is against Carlson. Both are set to begin at 4 p.m.