Wausau drops game 3 to Grand Forks in a bullpen game. 

The Ignite saw four different pitchers enter the game on Saturday in the loss. The story of the game was once again, too little too late on the offensive side of the ball. 

How It Happened

With two outs, Claire Calmes (UW-Madison) found a bloop double following some miscommunication in the outfield. Mia Johnson (UW-Parkside) extended her hitting streak to six games with an infield single to put runners on the corners. The Ignite stranded both to enter the bottom of the inning. Riley Stiles (Lake Forrest) made the start in the circle for the Ignite, recording a strikeout against the first batter she saw. Stiles got out of a bases loaded jame giving up only one run and striking out another to close the inning, Ignite trailing by 1.

The Ignite went down in three batters to start the second inning. The Spitfires tacked on three more runs to go up 4-0 after two innings.

One out on the board, Taylor Liebelt (Illinois State) delivered a single to get on. Marley Teasley (Washington) followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position. Claire Calmes once again delivered with a 2-RBI double to split the lead in half. A Mia Johnson sac-fly advanced Calmes to third, who was stranded on the following at-bat. The Ignite went on to turn an excellent double play to limit the damage in the third. 

Brooke Steinhorst (Loyola Chicago) drew a hit-by-pitch to reach first with two outs already away in the fourth. On a Quinn Marnocha (SDSU) single, Steinhorst avoided a throw down and tag at home plate to put the game within 1 while Marnocha advanced to second. A three-run homer by the Spitfires put their lead back to four before another solo home run set the score at 8-3. A sac fly brought Grand Forks to 9 runs.

Marley Teasley led off the fifth with a double. Claire Calmes found another RBI on the day with a single. A two-out error put Riley Schwisow (Northwestern State) on first and Calmes on second, but both were stranded. The Ignite defence put away the Spitfires 1-2-3 to keep the score 9-4. 

A one-out hit-by-pitch for Quinn Marnocha put a runner on first before Taylor Liebelt (Illinois State) struck her second home run of the year to plate Marnocha. The Spitfires added to their lead, doubling Wausau’s run total as the sixth inning ended with Grand Forks up 12-6.

A lead-off home run struck by Mia Johnson set her sixth on the year. Riley Schwiow then picked up a hit with one out and subsequently stole second. Mia Buske (SDSU) kept the rally alive and put runners on the corners with a single. A ground out scored Schwisow and put Buske on third following a wild pitch. The game ended 12-8.

Stats and Facts

• Claire Calmes now holds a 7-game hitting streak
• Mia Johnson leads the team with 6 home runs.

Coming Up Next

The Ignite will close their road trip to Grand Forks, North Dakota, on Sunday, July 5th. First pitch for game four is set for 1:05 and can be streamed on Flo Sports. 

You can stay up to date with the Ignite by visiting ignitesoftball.com and catching all games live on Flo Sports or select games on All Women’s Sports Network.

 

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Leveraging the 31-year success of the Northwoods League, the first for-profit Summer Collegiate Baseball League, Northwoods League Softball (NWLS) is the first for-profit Women’s Summer Collegiate Softball League beginning play in the Upper Midwest in the summer of 2024. The purpose of the League will be to develop players for their college, Olympic and future professional play. Teams will be promoted similar to minor league baseball teams, playing games in front of fans in a fun, friendly, family-oriented environment.