It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Ishpeming had no problem doing just that on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Gwinn Modeltowners a 14-0 shutout. Considering Ishpeming has won 14 matchups by more than eight runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Payton Manninen made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Manninen has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in four consecutive pitching appearances. Manninen was also big at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a home run, six RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Kadie Kaukola was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Lilly Swanson, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3.
Ishpeming's win bumped their record up to 15-12. As for Gwinn, they dropped their record down to 1-12 with that loss, which was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season.
Ishpeming has the luxury of staying home for another game and will welcome Superior Central at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Superior Central's favor is that they have posted big run totals in their last five contests. Gwinn does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
