Midgettes tally fourth shutout of week

HURLEY - Ashland did something Friday no one else has done against Hurley in this young season: Draw a walk.

It didn't derail the Midgettes, who shut out the Oredockers 11-0 for the second time this week.

Hurley hasn't given up a run yet this season, winning its four games this week by a combined score of 45-0.

After two frustrating and scoreless innings to start the game, eight of the nine Hurley batters tallied a hit Friday. The one who didn't drove in a run.

The offense caught up to the excellent pitching and defense that Hurley has displayed this week.

"Our offense hit the ball well, right through the lineup somebody did something to get a run in. This was a good measure because (Ashland's Brooke Westlund) does throw the ball pretty hard and we hit the ball hard tonight. I'm happy right now," Hurley manager Jim Kivisto said. "Our defense played great except for the one popup that popped out of her glove."

Paige Aho picked up her second win of the season. She struck out three and only allowed the one walk and four hits.

"She did a great job; her changeup was nice tonight, she's going to need that (today)," Kivisto said. "The one walk, we got through it."

The Midgettes are in line for what likely will be their toughest test so far.

Hurley (4-0, 2-0) plays in a tournament at Stratford today. It faces a very good Athens team at 10 a.m., followed by Iola-Scandinavia. Athens has already defeated perennial power Chequamegon and also Phillips, which has been very good lately.

"(Today) will be a big test for us," Kivisto said. "I'm looking forward to it. We'll see where we're at and we'll see what we have to work on. We do need games like that (against Athens). It might get the perspective back in the girls' minds that we do need to work and things aren't going to be 11-0 every game. We are going to give up runs sooner or later."

Hurley's Gabby Pecotte started the game with a triple, but her run was disallowed because she didn't slide into home plate and she collided with the catcher. The Midgettes left runners on second and third with nobody out in the second.

"They get too jacked up and they think they have to crush the ball. No. Just put the ball in play, make contact and we'll probably score a run," Kivisto said. "Those are things you learn as you go on."

Ashland didn't take advantage of opportunities in the first two innings. In the first with its cleanup hitter in position to take a walk, Emily Wammer left second base early for for the third out. In the second, Kaitlyn Dickrell hit a leadoff shot to rightfield. Rightfielder Tori Colassaco threw to Kirkie Pecotte, who got it to Gabby Pecotte in time to get the out at third.

Kirkie Pecotte bunted for a base hit in the third inning and a bad throw to first brought Tianne Kuula home for the first run of the game.

Maria Swartz hit a sacrifice fly to right to plate Gabby Pecotte, who walked. Kirkie Pecotte later scored to give Hurley a 3-0 lead after three innings.

The Midgettes brought 12 batters to the plate in the fourth inning despite leading off with a strikeout.

Colassaco and Kuula had back-to-back singles. Gabby Pecotte drove in Colassaco with her second hit of the day, Kuula scored on an errant pickoff attempt to put Hurley up 5-0.

Swartz drove in Gabby Pecotte and Kirkie Pecotte with a double. Paige Aho plated a run with a single, Kaylyn King had an RBI double and Czarnecki and Colassaco ended the scoring with back-to-back RBIs. Czarnecki's came on a groundout and Colassaco's on a base hit.

The Midgettes ended the game with a 6-4-3 double play (Kirkie Pecotte to Swartz to Czarnecki).

Gabby Pecotte, King, Colassaco and Kuula all had two hits. Swartz drove in three runs.

The Oredockers lost shortstop Lexi St. Germain to an injury suffered in pregame warmups. That in turn changed up Ashland's outfield.

Ashland (0-4) couldn't contain Hurley after the first two innings.

"They started getting on Brooke, hitting a little bit better," Ashland manager Chas Johnson said. "They were hitting well and we weren't fielding that great. We'll keep working on it. We couldn't get the bats going. That's something we have to really work on for the rest of the year."

Ashland 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 4 2

Hurley 0 0 3 8 x - 11 12 1