Red Devils win two very different games

IRONWOOD - Thursday night's softball doubleheader between Ironwood and Mellen was night and day, literally and figuratively.

Besides starting during the day and ending under the lights, the teams combined for 51 runs off eight hits in the first game while the second game was very well played.

Ironwood won both games, the first 32-19 and the second 10-9 in eight innings.

"It was probably one of the worst games, the first one, to probably one of the best games in the second one," Ironwood manager Tim Routheaux said.

The teams combined for 51 walks in the first game; Ironwood reached via a walk 29 times. That doesn't include nine hit batters. In the second game, just three players took walks.

"It was really slow and then we played better, they played better, they got a better pitcher, Lacey (Rimkus) did a really good job (pitching) and we just overall played better, I think," said Ironwood shortstop Kacie Lundin, who knocked in the game-winning run in game two. "We fielded the ball better, less walks, less runs. It was a lot better of a game."

In the first contest, Ironwood scored 14 runs in the first inning off three hits, 10 walks, three hit batters and two Mellen errors. The first 19 reached for Ironwood, two going out on the basepaths before a groundout finally ended the inning when Taylor Mylly came up for the third time in the first.

After the Red Devils got three more runs in the second, Mellen, the home team in game one, scored 12 runs in the bottom of the inning off 10 Ironwood walks and three hit batters.

Ironwood squandered chances to end the game due to the 15-run rule after the third and fourth innings. But they kept the margin above 10 to end it after five innings.

In the second game, the Devils entered the bottom of the seventh trailing 6-5 with daylight long an afterthought.

Lundin grounded out to score Mylly to tie it at 6-6. Lacey Rimkus tripled with one out, but she was stranded there.

Extra innings. Why not?

Mellen scored three runs in the top of the eighth to seemingly secure a split in the doubleheader with a 9-6 lead.

But Ironwood, with the bottom of the order coming up, came right back in the bottom of the eighth.

Kristle Jackson reached on an error and Jamee Bastman singled. Lauren Gauthier brought home Jackson with a single.

After an out, Taylor Mylly hit a double down the leftfield line to score Mariah Beaudette, who ran for Gauthier.

Mylly went to third on a wild pitch and Mellen pulled in its fielders with one out, knowing a throw home was its only chance to beat Ironwood.

Lundin came through with the RBI single to plate the game-winning run.

"I was kind of nervous," Lundin said. "I know I'm a decent hitter, if I don't get in my head. I know I have to get Taylor home. They all moved in and I'm like, 'OK, this is my time, I have to get her home.'"

The entire comeback took some guts, especially while falling behind by three runs in extra innings on what was already a long enough day ... and night.

"We just kept our spirits up; we knew we could do it, we're a good hitting team, we're a good defensive team," Lundin said.

Rimkus picked up the complete-game win for Ironwood. It was her first career victory on the mound. She walked just two batters and gives Ironwood another pitching option.

"They didn't quit," Routheaux said. "Both teams made some errors and that, but overall, it was probably the best game I've seen all year. It was exciting and it was fun."

Mylly tallied three hits in the second game and Lundin had two, including a triple.

Ironwood (4-6) hosts Ashland Tuesday.

Game 1

Ironwood (14) 3 9 2 4 - 32 6 2

Mellen 0 (12) 1 3 3 - 19 2 6

Game 2

Mellen 1 0 0 5 0 0 0 3 - 9 13

Ironwood 0 3 0 0 2 0 1 4 - 10 11