THRALL — Kenzie Engelke’s run-scoring single in the bottom of the seventh inning broke a 2-2 tie and sent the Thrall Tigerettes (13-6 overall, 2-4 District 27-2A) to a 3-2 win over the Holland Lady Hornets. The win also halted a three-game skid by the Tigerettes as they near the midway point of district play.
It was a pitcher’s duel through the first three innings, as neither team was able to hit against the opposing pitchers consistently, but that changed in Thrall’s half of the fourth inning. The Tigerettes’ Ashlyn Jarosek connected with a first-pitch offering and drove the ball centerfield fence for a solo home run that gave Thrall a 1-0 lead.
Thrall would strike again in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Jarosek led off the inning with a single and scored on Dezi Lopez’s triple to center and the Thrall held a 2-0 advantage.
Holland knotted the score at two runs apiece in the top of the seventh inning on a two-run home run off Thrall starting pitcher Miley Pokorny. But, Pokorny was able to shut the Lady Hornets down for the rest of the inning, setting up Engelke’s game-winning hit in the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh, Stephanie Widner reached on an error to lead off the inning. Melaina Grissom’s sacrifice bunt advanced Widner to second, and she moved to third on Mikayla Velasquez’s single to right. With one out, Engelke strolled the plate. And, facing a 3-2 count, roped a line-drive single to right field, driving home Widner to give the Tigerettes the win.
Jarosek led the Tigerettes at the plate with a pair of hits, while Pokorny (11-4) picked up the win. Pokorny surrendered five hits and two walks over seven innings of work while striking out 11. The Tigerettes will be back in action on Saturday when they host the Bartlett Lassies.
