Colfax loses early after Saturday defeat

COLFAX –– The Colfax Bulldogs went out in the WIAA 2B State Tournament early after they lost to Northwest Christian 9-0 in the first game Saturday in the loser's bracket.

They advanced to that game by winning their opening round game Friday 11-10 against the Raymond-South Bend Seagulls. Then, the Bulldogs lost 11-21 to the Adna Pirates to place them in the game against Northwest Christian Saturday.

The game against the Seagulls was a whirlwind game for both teams. The Seagulls were the away team in the game, and both teams did not score until the sixth inning.

The Seagulls exploded in the top of the sixth, scoring seven runs to take a commanding lead, which seemed too high for Colfax to climb, but they did.

In the bottom of the same inning the Bulldogs rallied together to score 10 straight runs to take the 10-7 lead heading into the final inning.

In the final at-bats for the Seagulls, they would score three runs to tie the game at 10 heading into the bottom of the seventh.

For the Bulldogs, they used their last at-bats before extra innings to produce the game winning run in walk-off fashion as they would score to end the game 11-10.

In the game, both teams had eight hits each. The Bulldogs were walked seven times while the Seagulls were walked only three times.

Colfax was led offensively by KeiLena Nelson who had three RBIs. The hit leader for the Bulldogs in the game was Kirsten Akesson, who had three hits in four plate appearances, she also had two RBIs in the game.

Delaney Imler pitched 5.1 innings for Colfax and allowed five runs on five hits in the game. She also walked two batters and struck out another four.

In the middle of the onslaught from the Seagulls, Karmen Akesson came in to pitch for the Bulldogs. She would go 1.2 innings and allow five runs on three hits, including a home run. She struck out and walked one batter.

After the nail-biting victory against the Seagulls, Colfax moved on the face No.1 overall Adna.

The Pirates were in complete control in the game, scoring at least one run in every inning played. The first inning saw the Pirates score one run, which they followed up with three in the second.

The fourth inning is where the Bulldogs got on the scoreboard. They scored one run in the top of the fourth inning, then exploded for eight runs in the top of the fifth to take the 9-8 lead.

Adna would answer in the bottom of the fifth with four runs to take the 12-9 lead. In the top of the sixth Colfax would score two runs to make it 12-11 in the game, which is where it all fell apart for Colfax.

The Bulldogs let the game slip away from them in the bottom of the sixth, letting the Pirates offense run wild, scoring nine runs to end the game early as the Pirates won 21-11.

Offensively, Harper Booth had three hits in three plate appearances for one RBI. Her other plate appearance was a walk. Brenna Gilchrist had two hits in the game as well.

Pitching for the Bulldogs was Karmen and Kirsten Akesson, as well as Imler. Karmen went the first 3.2 innings and allowed eight runs on six hits with six walks and two strikeouts. She also allowed a home run in the game. Kirsten Akesson went 1.1 innings and allowed five runs on five hits with a home run as well, which was a grand slam. Both home runs were hit by Karlee Von Moos for the Pirates.

Imler managed to get through two outs in her appearance of less than an inning where she allowed eight runs on six hits.

After Adna defeated the Bulldogs, they advanced to the semifinal game, which they won, then won the championship game to become state champions. Colfax moved to a loser's out game against Northwest Christian.

Northwest Christian had the Bulldogs number all season, winning three of the four games between these two teams, including the district championship game.

In this playoff game, Northwest Christian never gave Colfax a chance, the Bulldogs only had four hits in the game and struck out six times with no walks.

Northwest Christian scored four runs in the first inning, then followed with two runs in the second to put the Bulldogs away early. After three runs in the bottom of the fourth, Northwest Christian used their stellar pitching to close the game out, and win 9-0, ending the season for the Bulldogs.