Tervo’s recent success continues: Downs SNB 5-1 in quarterfinal playoff action
Tervo Agency centerfieler Heather Huffmaster is congratulated by catcher Aubrey Zackal after scoring in a Copper Country Women’s Fastpitch Softball quarterfinal game against Superior National Bank Wednesday at the Boneyard in Lake Linden. (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)
Tervo Agency pitcher Olivia Wakeham awaits a pitch in a Copper Country Women’s Fastpitch Softball quarterfinal game against Superior National Bank Wednesday at the Boneyard in Lake Linden. (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)
Tervo Agency centerfieler Heather Huffmaster is congratulated by catcher Aubrey Zackal after scoring in a Copper Country Women’s Fastpitch Softball quarterfinal game against Superior National Bank Wednesday at the Boneyard in Lake Linden. (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)
Tervo Agency pitcher Olivia Wakeham awaits a pitch in a Copper Country Women’s Fastpitch Softball quarterfinal game against Superior National Bank Wednesday at the Boneyard in Lake Linden. (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)
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LAKE LINDEN -- After some long games and tough losses, Tervo Agency is on a roll in the Copper Country Women's Fastpitch league. They won their first game of the season last week, earned a tie on Monday of this week and are now headed to the semifinals with a 5-1 win on Wednesday over Superior National Bank.
"It's taken a while, but we are figuring out how we work as a team," said player-coach Danielle Thoune.
A two-run lead to start the game helped. That came by way of left fielder Alana Nola having an RBI double in the first and first baseman Kyllee Puuri scoring in the second.
Olivia Wakeham was Tervo's winning pitcher. She was a regular with the team last year, and returned to the team this season just in time for the playoffs, filling in for Mel Baker, who had to be out of town this week. She went the distance with eight strikeouts.
Superior National Bank's one and only run came in the second. Two walks led to Rienna Berg knocking in Elisa Issacson. It was a 2-1 Tervo lead after two.
However, Tervo went on to score two more in the third and one more in the fifth. SNB's player-coach and pitcher, Rosalie Anderson-Kangas, summed it up best.
"We hit the ball well, but they made all the plays," she said. "That's the postseason.
Thoune agreed that playing with just a few errors made a big difference in this one as did their own strong bats.
"We swung really well in this one and made it happen," she added.
She noted the strong at-bats of center fielder Heather Huffmaster, who had a single, a double, and scored twice. Shortstop Amber Schoenicke also swung a big stick for Tervo with an RBI triple in the third.
With the win, Tervo will play Superior Service at noon on Saturday at the Boneyard in Lake Linden.
"We are excited," said Thoune. "We hope we can keep this energy going this weekend."
While SNB's season comes to an end, not all is lost according to Anderson-Kangas.
"We made some drastic improvements from when we started and had a lot of fun doing so," she said. "In that sense, it was a great season."