Jays score 51 runs during 4-0 week

The Three Lakes-Phelps varsity softball team helped its playoff seeding last week with four dominating wins, where the Bluejays scored a combined 51 runs during the 4-0 week. That included a 13-0 rout of Elcho on the road last Tuesday before beating Goodman-Pembine 7-3 last Thursday on the road. The Jays also traveled to Gillett High School on May 16 to compete in an invitational to close the week, where they beat Gillett 15-0 and Wausaukee 16-7.

As teams around the state are closer to the playoffs, the seedings also officially came out this past weekend, with Three Lakes-Phelps getting the No. 5 seed in its loaded D4 sectional.

That seeding was assisted by a 13-run win and shutout of the Hornets to open the week. The Bluejays completed the regular-season sweep of Elcho after defeating the Hornets 13-1 earlier in the season in Three Lakes.

The Jays dominated from the jump and did much of their damage in the second and third innings, with 12 combined runs. Three Lakes jumped out to an 8-0 advantage after plating eight runs in the second inning.

“I’m extremely proud of the way our girls responded after a couple of tough conference losses last week. Our offense was rolling all game, finishing with 13 runs on 14 hits,” said Three Lakes Head Coach Dan Scheppele.

Three Lakes added one more run in the fourth to close the scoring.
Barnekow led the Bluejay offense by going 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and two RBI—five other Three Lakes hitters combined for 10 of the 14 hits on the day.

Senior Callie Wilson followed Barnekow with three RBI, and sophomore Kate Koshuta had two RBI to her own credit. The Jays’ offense stayed patient as they walked six times and struck out just three times.

Szews got the start in the circle and pitched a complete game no-hitter (five innings), while she struck out six and only allowed one walk.

“Malia had an unbelievable performance in the circle,” stated Scheppele. “ It was a complete team effort and a great way for the girls to respond.”

Two days later, Three Lakes played in a lengthy 10-inning game against Goodman-Pembine, where the Bluejays came away with a 7-3 win.

“It was not the prettiest of wins, but it was a tough-earned victory that showed the resilience of our girls, and I believe it will help us move forward into the playoffs,” stated Scheppele. The Goodman-Pembine pitching staff struck out the Bluejays 13 times to keep the offense at bay early on, but Three Lakes got the bats going late to secure the win.

Senior Kassidy Williams contributed three hits, including an inside-the-park home run, along with two RBI. Koshuta had a single and two RBI in the win as well.

The Bluejays ended the week with two games at an invite at Gillett High School last Saturday. They beat Gillett by a 15-0 score by bringing in 15 runs on 12 hits offensively. Fourteen of the 15 runs came by the way of RBI.

In the second game against Wausaukee, Three Lakes quickly fell behind 5-0 but fought back to win 16-7.

“We started the game sloppily, giving up five early runs along with two errors and quickly falling behind 5-0, but I am very proud of the way our girls responded and never backed down. Our offense came alive in a big way in this one,” explained Scheppele.

The Jays collected 24 hits on the day.

Three Lakes continued to sit in first place in the NLC at 7-2 and 13-6 overall. The final regular-season game was scheduled for this past Tuesday, which was a home game against Crandon. That score was not available before press time. A win against Crandon would give the Jays either the outright NLC regular-season title or put them in a share with Florence. That will be decided on how the Bobcats perform against Laona-Wabeno on Tuesday of this week.

The first regional matchup for Three Lakes was also decided, as it will travel to face No. 4-seeded Edgar next Tuesday, May 26, at a time yet to be determined. The winner of that one will likely face No. 1-seeded Marathon in the next round.