Brynn Harker of Annawan-Wethersfield makes contact Monday during the game against Bureau Valley. [Photo by Marlie Lindstrom of The Kewanee Voice Student Journalism Program]

It’s been a busy week for the Annawan-Wethersfield softball team. The Titans played six games in five days and came away with two wins and four losses. 

On Saturday, A-W swept a double-header against Stark County with scores of 11-9 and 11-1. In a single home game against Bureau Valley on Monday, the Titans suffered a 7-2 loss. 

A-W then lost a home doubleheader to ROWVA-Williamsfield on Tuesday (5-0 and 10-6) and on Wednesday they traveled to Morrison and suffered a 6-2 loss to the Mustangs. The Titans are now 3-8 on the season and 1-1 in LTC play. 

Titans 11, Stark County 9

Stark County (1-6, 0-3) started off with a bang in the first game against visiting A-W. Sophie Finnegan hit a fly ball to center for a triple. She later scored on a ground out by Payton Hillier for a 1-0 lead. 

In the top of the third inning, Paige Huffman returned the favor for the Titans by hitting a triple and sending home Karsyn Rico to tie the game at 1-1. Traidan Hier then singled and drove home Huffman to put A-W on top, 2-1. 

Sophie Nimrick then reached on an error and Wavelynn Peart crossed the plate, extend the lead to 3-1. 

In the bottom of the third inning, Hailey Peterson and Finnegan scored to knot the score at 3-all. 

With bases loaded in the fourth inning, Rico scored for the Titans and broke the tie at 4-3.  Huffman then singled to bring home Lillie Bowen for a lead of 5-3. 

The table was again set in the top of the fifth inning when Rico hit a single and Elle Eastman and Brynn Harker scored to extend the A-W lead to 8-3. Hier then hit another single and Rico scored, giving the Titans a bit of a cushion at 9-3. 

The Rebels battled back with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to close the gap at 9-6. Peterson, Finnegan and Hillier scored for Stark County. 

In the top of the seventh inning, A-W tacked on two more insurance runs to go up 11-6. Peart and Hier scored the final two runs for the Titans. 

Stark County mustered three runs in their last at-bat, but their rally fell short and A-W hung on for the 11-9 win. Peterson, Finnegan and Emily Demetreon rounded out the scoring for the Rebels. 

Sophie Nimrick earned the win for the Titans. She struck out eight and didn’t allow any walks. Nimrick surrendered nine hits and nine runs (four earned). 

Aubri Stahl absorbed the loss for Stark County. She fanned seven and walked seven, while giving up 15 hits and 11 runs (10 earned). 

Titans 11, Stark County 1

The Titans built a 4-1 lead after three innings of play and then put up seven runs in the top of the fourth inning to run away with the 11-1 five-inning win. 

Paige Huffman scored the first run, giving A-W a 1-0 lead. Aaliyah Hayes then hit a double to plate Elle Eastman and Hayes scored after an error on the Rebels to push the lead to 3-0.

Olivia Orwig then scored the lone run for Stark County in the bottom of the second inning for a score of 3-1. Sophie Nimrick added a run for the Titans in the third inning to extend the lead to 4-1.

Annawan-Wethersfield added seven runs at the top of the fourth inning to close out the win. Huffman, Traidan Hier, Nimrick and Brynn Harker scored the first four runs of the inning, giving the Titans a lead of 8-1.

Huffman then hit a three run double to put the game out of reach for the Rebels. Elaina Manuel, Eastman and Hayes scored the last three runs of the 5-inning game. 

Wavelynn Peart picked up the win in the circle. In five innings of play, she struck out three and walked three, while surrendering zero hits and one unearned run. 

Brooklyn Ostrowski took the loss for Stark County. In five innings on the mound, she struck out one and walked seven. She gave up 10 hits and 11 runs (five earned). 

Bureau Valley 7, Titans 2

Elaina Manuel hit a solo home run on a fly ball to center field to give the Titans a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first inning.

Sadie Bailey then hit a grounder and Lesleigh Maynard scored for Bureau Valley to tie the game, 1-1 in the third inning. 

Emily Wright hit her first double of the game and scored another run for the Storm in the fourth inning for a lead of 2-1. 

Bureau Valley tacked on three more runs in the top of the fifth inning. Wright hit her second double, which was followed by a single from Madison Smith. Abby Jamison and Bailey scored on the play to extend the BV lead to 5-1. 

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Paige Huffman hit a single and Manuel scored on a throw to give the Titans their second and final run at 5-2. 

Wright hit her third double of the game and Bailey scored to push the lead to four at 6-2. Kaydyn Haage scored the last run of the game off of a Stoller single. 

Bureau Valley is now 4-2 on the season.

Smith pitched all seven innings and picked up the win for the Storm. She struck out seven and walked three in the win. She allowed six hits and two runs (both earned).

Sophie Nimrick pitched five innings in the losing effort for the Titans. She struck out six and surrendered one walk, while allowing six hits and five runs (one earned). 

In addition to hitting a home run for A-W, Manuel hit two singles, scored two runs and had one RBI. Huffman had a single, an RBI and a walk. Nimrick and Aaliyah Hayes each hit singles.