HAWLEY – Game 1 didn’t go as planned for the Perham softball team in its doubleheader against Hawley, but Game 2 was a comeback story for the ages.
Perham was run-ruled in the fifth inning, losing 10-0 in Game 1. The Yellowjackets went down 10-0 after two and a half innings of play in Game 2 but went on to score 11 unanswered runs to secure an 11-10 comeback victory.
“Obviously Hawley is a very good and strong team,” Perham head coach Jason Groth said. “We expected to see a good battle coming in. Game 1 was definitely rough but I loved the fact that these girls battled and still continued to play.”
The Yellowjackets only had two hits against Hawley in Game 1. Perham’s Mallory Greiff and Marissa Hapwood were the only Yellowjackets to record a hit in the 10-0 routing.
Perham didn’t back down from the fight after a rough start in Game 2.
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“They were sitting down 10-0 Game 2 and they could’ve threw in the towel,” Groth said. “These girls stayed positive, kept working hard, had good at-bats and continued to grind it out. Credit to Brittany Hoffman on getting her first career varsity win pitching. It was a struggle for her in the first inning but when she settled down and got rid of the nerves, she really battled it out.”
In Game 2, Hoffman was called to the mound. She gave up eight runs in the first and two more in the top of the third and Perham found themselves down 10-0 entering the bottom half o the third inning.
The Yellowjackets began their comeback with Brianna Hoffman crushing a two-run RBI double to drive in Morgan Smith and Greiff in the bottom of the third. Perham added two more runs after an Ava Bladow two-run RBI double, cutting the deficit to 10-4 after four innings.
Brittany kept the Nuggets at bay with a scoreless top of the fifth. The offense responded with four runs in the bottom half of the inning and a 10-run lead was cut to two. Brittany pitched a one, two, three top of the sixth with the Yellowjackets carrying the momentum into the bottom of the sixth down 10-8.
In stellar comeback fashion, Perham put up the three runs it needed to take its first lead between the two games at 11-10. The Yellowjackets needed a miracle in the top of the seventh when Hawley loaded the bases with one out. Perham’s prayers were answered when the next Nuggets batter smacked a line drive right to shortstop and the Yellowjackets forced the out at third, ending the game on a phenomenal double play.
Brittany secured her first win as a varsity pitcher. After the unreal comeback, she knew her team had her back after a shaky start.
“I was a little down after giving up those 10 runs,” she said. “Then my team stepped it up and kept getting runs of their own. I knew we could do it once I started to settle down.”
It was Perham’s pitching and defense that kept the game within reach in Game 2. Groth knew his girls would come back after a tough Game 1.
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“It was a battle,” he said. “I thought we played pretty well defensively, turning four double plays today. I talked with the girls about our mistakes in Game 1 that we let balloon into more. Game 2 we limited those mistakes and didn’t let them grow. We erased them and moved forward.”
The Yellowjackets move to 1-3 overall and 1-3 in the Heart of Lakes Conference. Perham’s true colors shined in Game 2 and made a statement against a Hawley team that has had their number for the past couple of seasons. Groth’s biggest takeaway was that his team is no joke when they step up to the plate.
“I like our offense and I have said that a lot this year,” he said. “I believe this team can put up a lot of runs and in Game 2 we showed that. When we get the momentum on our side, good things can happen.”
GAME ONE
PERHAM- 0 0 0 0 0 X X- 0
HAWLEY- 0 4 2 3 1 X X- 10
GAME TWO
HAWLEY- 8 0 2 0 0 0 0- 10
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PERHAM 0 0 2 2 4 3 X- 11
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