St. Paul outslugs crosstown Norwalk

NORWALK — Both sides knew it wasn't over. After all, the first five-plus innings had already shown that when Norwalk visited crosstown St. Paul in a non-league softball game on Saturday. The Flyers score six times in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a seemingly comfortable 16-7 lead while leaving a runner stranded on base that would have ended the game by the 10-run rule. Instead, the Truckers got the third out, then scored four runs in the top of the seventh while down to their final out before St. Paul put away the 16-11 win at Norwalk Area Contractors Park. The two teams combined for 27 runs on 27 hits and 11 errors in the field as the Flyers improved to 3-2 and the Truckers fell to 1-4. "This was a good tuneup for us ahead of starting conference games next week," St. Paul head coach Aaron Kalizewski said. "It was good to get the game in, and we hit the ball well and put it in play, and we had good base running. "But again for us, it was the same old thing with three innings with crooked numbers for Norwalk, and in every one of those innings, we had big errors that cost us," he added. "So again, if we can keep it clean, we feel like we can play with a lot of teams." St. Paul led 5-1 after two innings, which included a pair of runs in the first on a wild pitch and a fielding error by the Truckers. In the second, Allyson Takacs singled in Kegney Stoll, who led off the inning with a walk. Starting pitcher Bella Guerra then followed with an RBI double to score Addy Rospert, who reached on an error. Ella Kalizewski made it 5-1 with a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Takacs. But the Truckers came right back in the top of the third with four runs to pull within 5-4. Lola Schlotterer and Maddie Gamble opened with two straight singles, and Saige Viock brought them home with a two-run double to left. Viock scored on a sacrifice fly right off the bat of Scarlet Schneider. Norwalk loaded the bases in the top of the fourth with one out, but Guerra was able to get a strikeout and a foul pop-out caught by her catcher, Ella Kalizewski, to end the threat. After Ryleigh Mansfield-Bush singled in the bottom of the fourth, Ella Kalizewski then scored her with an RBI double for a 6-4 lead. Again the Truckers answered, scoring three times in the fifth to take a 7-6 lead. Schneider reached on an error, and Audryn Ott singled for two quick baserunners. Alexis Dellisanti then hit an RBI single, and an error in right field by the Flyers allowed Dellisanti to score and tie the game at 6-6. Schlotterer then made it 7-6 with a shallow fly single near shortstop to score Caymen Mercer. The lead was short-lived, however, as St. Paul scored four times in the bottom of the fifth. Taegan Mansfield-Bush walked, stole second, and then advanced to third on an out put in play. Rospert then hit an infield single to score the run and tie the game, and Takacs followed with an RBI double to left for an 8-7 lead. Ryleigh Mansfield-Bush then reached on an error, which allowed Takacs to score, and Guerra followed with an RBI single to make it a 10-7 lead. The Flyers then erupted for their six runs in the bottom of the sixth. Taegan Mansfield-Bush and Payton Preston both drew walks, and Kegney Stoll was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Addy Rospert then drew a walk to force in the first run, followed by Preston scoring on an error and Takacs adding an RBI single to make it 12-7. Ryleigh Mansfield-Bush and Guerra then followed with consecutive RBI singles to make it 15-7, and Mallorie Sowers added an RBI single with two outs for a 16-7 lead. With the winning run at second, the Flyers grounded out to end the inning. After two straight singles by Sophia Ames and Dellisanti, followed by two consecutive line outs, the Truckers then had one last rally in them. Gamble and Viock had consecutive RBI singles to plate three runs and make it 16-10, and Reagan Mooney followed suit with an RBI single to make it 16-11. But a force out at second base ended the game. "Definitely a game all the way through," Norwalk head coach Julie Schmidt said. "I think at any point, either team could have taken it away, and that happened for St. Paul in the sixth. "I am super proud of my athletes. They've been through a lot on and off the field, and they are a resilient group." For St. Paul, Guerra had three hits with three RBIs, and Ryleigh Mansfield Bush had three hits and drove in two. Takacs also had three hits with an RBI and scored three runs, while Ella Kalizewski was 2 for 3 and drove in two, with Rospert adding a base hit, two RBIs, and two runs. "We hit .466 as a team today with eight walks and only three strikeouts," Coach Kalizewski said. "You can't be any happier than that. We've been hitting a lot in practice because the reality is we know we are going to have some errors. "But that happens to any team. Our mentality is, if we can hit and score, we can afford a couple bobbles in the field." For Norwalk, Viock was 2 for 5 with the double and four RBIs. Schlotterer was 3 for 4 with an RBI, while Mercer had two hits and an RBI. Gamble had two hits with an RBI and scored twice, and Ott also had two hits. "Every player in the lineup got a hit, and my bottom three hit over .600 today," Schmidt said. "I can't ask for anything more than the resilience and grit that they've shown, but St. Paul showed up and played a great game. It didn't end our way this time, but that's OK. "It's early season non-league play, and that's what this is for. We want to learn and figure out who we are as a team, and I like what we see so far." The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday (April 1) at NHS but was postponed to Saturday. Schmidt and the Truckers then agreed to move the game to Contractors Park, which allowed Coach Kalizewski to more easily watch his son, Isaac, play for the Flyers baseball team against Mohawk on the other side of the softball diamond. "That was really great and something we appreciate, and I think it's great to have the crosstown game during the regular season," Coach Kalizewski said. "We have two good programs in a lot of the sports, and it's fun getting them together. "Ella has three Norwalk girls she plays travel ball with, so it's fun seeing the local kids and playing a competitive game. And it was just that, a good game that was a lot of fun." Norwalk 013 030 4 — 11 15 3 St. Paul 230 146 x — 16 14 5 WP: Guerra; LP: Ames 2B: (N) Viock; (SP) Kalizewski, Guerra, Takacs