Cleland dominates, Warriors split week with walk-off thriller
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A dominant performance in the circle and a dramatic walk-off victory highlighted a busy stretch for the Tuscola Warriors softball team, who went 2-1 over three games this week.
Tuscola opened the run with an 8-4 win over St. Teresa last Friday, powered by a standout outing from Kinzie Cleland. The right-hander struck out 12 batters over seven innings, allowing eight hits and four runs without issuing a walk.
At the plate, Sawyer Cleland led the charge with a perfect 4-for-4 day, recording singles in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings. Tuscola finished with 11 hits in the contest.
The Warriors found themselves in a back-and-forth battle early. After St. Teresa took a 1-0 lead in the first, Tuscola answered to tie the game and later erased a 3-1 deficit in the third inning. St. Teresa briefly regained the lead in the fifth, but Tuscola responded with a three-run frame highlighted by a two-run single from Brynlee Ring and an RBI walk by Bayleigh Taylor to take control for good.
Tuscola’s most thrilling moment of the week came Wednesday last week in a 13-12 walk-off win over Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond.
Trailing 12-11 entering the bottom of the seventh, the Warriors rallied for the victory when Addie Presson delivered a clutch double to drive in two runs and seal the comeback.
Sawyer Cleland continued her hot hitting, driving in four runs, while Tuscola’s offense produced 13 hits and showed patience at the plate with seven walks. Kinzie Cleland and Alaina Smith each collected three hits, helping fuel the high-scoring affair.
The Knights appeared to take control in the top of the seventh, plating seven runs to grab a late lead, but Tuscola answered in dramatic fashion. The Warriors also applied pressure on the bases, swiping six stolen bases in the game.
The Warrior’s lone setback came Tuesday of last week in a 12-0 loss to Meridian. Meridian jumped out early with a three-run first inning and added six more runs in the second to put the game out of reach. Despite the loss, Tuscola managed to turn a double play defensively.
The Warriors showed resilience throughout the week, bouncing back from the shutout loss with two strong performances, including one defined by dominant pitching and another by late-game heroics.
With momentum on their side, Tuscola will look to carry the energy from its walk-off victory and strong offensive output into the next stretch of the season as they faced Central A&M on Monday, Teutopolis on Tuesday, at home on Wednesday hosting Shelbyville, on the road to Sullivan on Friday, home on Monday 4/27 hosting Warrensburg-Latham, and at Neoga on 4/28.