Four-run fifth inning powers Wheatland to win over South

“In those situations, if (we could have found a way) to get runners across the plate and score those runs, it really changes the tempo,” Bison coach Curtis Quigley said. “We stayed on our heels, and were never really able to get them on theirs. When we find a way to get those timely hits in those situations, I think it does change the momentum of the game.”

The Bulldogs put two runners across in the first two innings to take the early lead. South evened the score 1-1 in the first inning, but junior pitcher Charleigh Mellish was called out attempting to steal home after a wild pitch. South got another chance with the bases loaded and no outs, but was only able to get one run across the plate.

Wheatland responded with two more runs in the top of the third to take a 4-1 lead, which proved to be enough of a cushion to keep the Bison from getting back in the game.

Wheatland put the game out of reach in the fifth inning, after Mellish was pulled from the circle. The Bulldogs scored two of their four runs in the frame off of errors from the Bison.

Despite the loss, Quigley was pleased with the way his team came out in the first four innings. After a rough start to the season at the Cheyenne Invitational, the first four innings were more along the lines of how Quigley wants to see his team play.

“We want to minimize what an opposing team is doing to us,” Quigley said. “We want to make those routine plays and make it look routine. The girls have responded to taking some of that pressure off their shoulders and that everything needs to be perfect.”

Despite letting the game slip away in the final four innings, South’s pitching gave it every chance to stay in the game. Mellish, who came in as the Bison’s No. 1 pitcher, turned in an excellent performance in the pitcher’s circle.

The junior threw four complete innings, fanning seven batters while allowing just five hits and five earned runs.

Before being pulled in the fifth inning, she had allowed just two earned runs.

“The spots my coaches were calling were really helping me,” Mellish said. “They were moving it around and kind of adjusting to the batter. They (saw) where they were (struggling to hit), and I had to place it there.”

While South didn’t ultimately get the final result it was looking for, the first four innings will serve as building blocks as the Bison move through the season.

“Going forward, we need to be more aggressive with the bats and have more of an aggressive mindset going into it,” Mellish said. “It would have helped so much. Our defense has definitely improved since this weekend.”

GAME TWO Wheatland 19 South 5

South dropped the nonconference portion of the doubleheader, falling 19-5 in the contest. The Bison’s bats heated up early in the game, and they managed to get five runs across the plate in the first two innings.

However, eight runs by the Bulldogs in the same span put South down 8-5 heading into the third inning. In the top of the third, Wheatland put 11 more across the plate to blow the game wide open.

Mellish, Alyssa Albaugh and Kaelin VanTassell each went 1-for-2 from the plate with singles. Albaugh added a RBI.