Coming off an upset win that busted the 2A Region 6 bracket, the Grundy Center softball team will take on West Fork in a regional semifinal game Friday.
The Spartans (12-17) are coming off Wednesday’s 8-6 win at #2 (2A) Alburnett, where they held off a six-run seventh inning by the Pirates. Head Coach Andy Lebo.
“Until you get that final out, sometimes the ball bounces the wrong way, but they got it done,” Lebo says. “We’ve played a ton of close games all year. Against a ranked 4A team, Gilbert, we were up 1-0 going into the bottom of the seventh and came out on the bad end of that, losing 2-1. But all year, we’ve played tight games. I’ve been preaching to the girls that if we can get everything put together in one night, it will be tough for someone to beat us. And we were able to do that.”
The Spartans were efficient offensively, scoring the eight runs on eight hits while only walking three times. Maddy Hendershot had three of the eight hits.
West Fork (17-7) is coming off an 8-2 home win over South Hardin, where they took control with seven runs in the first two innings. Additionally, they held a potent offense to six scoreless innings. Lebo says junior pitcher Libby Trewin makes the Warhawks a tough team to score against.
“She has a lot of strikeouts, she throws hard and is tough. They also put the ball in play. It’s a very, very solid program. From what I’ve seen, they’re a very tough opponent and it’ll be a tough matchup.”
It’ll be the first meeting between the programs.
The game will start at 5:00 p.m. at Volunteer Park in Clarksville, and is the first game of a doubleheader. The winner will advance to Monday’s regional final against either Dike-New Hartford or Hudson.
Andy Lebo interview:
