Hot Bats Power Gators Over Green Wave

Hot bats power Gators over Green Wave

By: Ryan Bergeron

Danielle Hoyer is making the most of her time on varsity. Hoyer threw a runner out behind the plate and went two for four at the plate with four RBI’s, including a three-run second inning home run to give the Gators a lead it would never would relinquish in a 14-10 home win over the East Grand Forks Green Wave on Thursday, April 28.

“She’s (Hoyer’s) gotten an opportunity and she’s taking advantage of it. (I’m) real proud of her… Hopefully, she just keeps getting better,” Coach Christian said.

Hoyer’s three-run home run, giving the Gators a 3-1 lead, proved to be just the beginning, the spark, of the team’s balanced offensive attack, collecting 20 hits, each starter getting at least one. The Gators tacked on three runs in the third, highlighted by a Carly Mekash RBI single, to take a 6-1 lead.

Coach Christian pointed to the offense and an improving defense as a big reason behind his team’s seven-game winning streak, moving its season record to 9-2. During the winning streak, the Gator girls have averaged just over eight runs per game.

"Our offense has really been tagging the ball,” Christian said.

This Gator offense responded to a fourth-inning Green Wave run to cut the lead to 6-2, scoring two runs in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by a Gracei Gullikson leadoff triple.

The Gators allowed the Green Wave to stay in the game, surrendering three fifth inning runs, to cut the score to 8-5 heading into the bottom of the fifth. On a day full of runs, the Gators responded to this Green Wave rally again with its highest scoring inning--six runs. Taylor Becker, Mekash, and Amy Svir powered the Gator offense, hitting three consecutive doubles in the inning.

After nearly defeating the Green Wave via the ten-run rule, the Gators surrendered five runs to the Green Wave in the top of the sixth. Kayla Nelson and Grace Beck hit back-to-back RBI doubles to spark the Green Wave rally, cutting the Gator lead to 14-10. The Gators shut the door in the seventh, giving up just a one out walk, to secure the win over a previously unbeaten Green Wave team.

“They’re young and they’re going to be very, very talented,” Coach Christian said about the Green Wave. “It was a nice win. (I) thought Hoyer got us going there with the three-run blast early, but again we got to shore up our defense or it’s going to be ugly.”

The Gator defense committed four errors behind starter Rachel Peterson. Picking up the pitching win, Peterson surrendered seven runs, three earned, on six hits and three walks, and struck out three. Brenna Dallager pitched two innings in relief.

On a day where the Gators scored 14 runs, offense was again the story, highlighted by Hoyer’s performance. Mekash went four for five, Gullikson three for five, and Makenna Burslie two for three at the plate to also lead the Gator offense.

For the Green Wave, Megan Bowman took the loss, giving up 14 runs, 13 earned, in six innings on 20 hits and three walks, and striking out five. Nelson led the Green Wave offense, going two for four at the plate.

Following this win, the Gators would stay home to play Red Lake Falls on Tuesday, May 3. The girls then head on the road-- versus the Northern Freeze in Newfolden on Thursday, May 5, and Warroad on Tuesday, May 10.