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Bulldogs pull off late comeback against Lena-Winslow
By Trenten Scheidegger
The Durand Bulldogs picked up their 13th win of the 2024 softball season when they snagged a comeback victory over the Lena-Winslow Panthers.
The victory couldn’t have come at a better time. The Bulldogs were coming in off two consecutive losses to Orangeville and East Dubuque; two very good teams that would prove to be quite the challenge for Durand.
Things didn’t get much easier when the Bulldogs played host to the Panthers on May 11. That day, the Bulldogs held an overall record of 12-7, while Le-Win was 10-10.
Early on, the Bulldogs found themselves in a defensive battle. Both teams went scoreless through the first two innings of a game that saw just two errors.
The Bulldogs trailed for the first time in the top of the third. Following a walk and a single, the Panthers hit into a fielder’s choice, which gave them their first lead of the day. That sparked some offense for Durand in the bottom half, however. Emily Ball singled to left, driving in Rachel Nevdal and making it a 1-1 game.
Le-Win took a significant lead when they combined for a trio of runs in the top of the fifth. Two walks and two singles opened up the inning before the Durand defense tallied an out. By the middle of the fifth, the Bulldogs trailed 4-2.
In the bottom of the sixth, Durand came to the plate with limited opportunity left. It was Ball who sparked the much-needed rally at the right time. In the top of the sixth, she tossed a pair of strikeouts to energize the team. In the bottom half, she led the inning off with a double, getting it done on both ends.
Eventually, Audrina Whipple tripled to right, driving in Crain and Mariyah Fritzel to tie the game 4-4. But the Bulldogs wouldn’t stop there. Aurora Hilton capped the inning off with a homerun over the center field fence, which gave Durand a 6-4 lead.
Le-Win made things interesting with a run in the top of the seventh. That was as close as the Panthers could get, however, as Durand held on for the 6-5 victory.
Ball got the win from the circle. In three innings, she struck out four while allowing just one run on two hits. At the plate, she was two for three with one run batted in. Whipple was two for three with a run scored and two RBIs. Delaney Wirtjes and Hilton both finished with the same line of one for three, one run scored, and one RBI in the win.
The Bulldogs wrapped up their 2024 regular season with a 13-7 overall record.
