Hornettes Closing In On End Of Regular Season

Jordan Stiegman crushes a double during the Hornettes 9-1 win over Central on April 30.
The end of the regular season is quickly approaching for the Nashville Hornettes softball team. The Hornettes have just seven games left on their schedule. The Hornettes final home game of the season will be against Wesclin on May 11.
The Hornettes picked up three wins this past week as they defeated Belleville West, Okawville, and. Central, all on the road. The Hornettes record is now 20-5 on the season.
Nashville picked up their eighteenth win of the season as they defeated Belleville West 12-7 on April 25. The Hornets grabbed the lead early and never trailed in the contest.
The Hornettes got out of the gates quick with three runs in the first inning. Mackenzie McFeron, Paige Kasten and Jordan Stiegman all scored for the Hornettes. Kasten, Stiegman, and Jenna Harris all had RBIs in the frame.
Nashville added two more in the second as McFeron hit a two run home run that also scored Libby Ahlers.
Belleville West chipped into the Hornettes lead in the bottom half of the inning as they scored two runs to cut the Hornettes lead to 5-2.
Nashville gained breathing room in the third as five runs came across the plate. Nine batters came to the plate for the Hornettes in the inning, as they notched four hits and drew one walk.
Belleville West again would chip away as they put three runs up in the bottom half of the inning to get back within five.
The Hornettes would score their final two runs of the game in the sixth. Belleville West would put up a run in the bottom of the sixth and seventh but could not come all the way back as Nashville took the win.
Whitley Hunter started the game in the circle for Nashville and went four plus innings. Hunter gave up just three hits, but walked seven batters. Hunter gave up five runs, only three of which were earned. Kyleigh Guinzy pitched the final three innings. Guinzy gave up two hits, two earned runs,and struck out one batter.
At the plate the Hornettes were led by McFeron. McFeron finished with three hits, one of which being a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs. McFeron also stole three bases. Kasten drove in three runs in the win, scored twice, and notched two hits. Libby Ahlers finished the game 2-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Stiegman also had two hits in the contest, drove in one run, and scored two runs. Sophie Heck added two hits, a RBI, and a run scored. Harris drove in two runs on one hit, and both Brooke Burcham and Guinzy finished the game with a hit and a run.
In their next contest the Hornettes faced off against Washington County Rival Okawville. It was all Nashville in this contest as the Hornettes defeated the Lady Rockets 18-2.
A close game early, the Hornettes led just 2-0 going into the fourth inning. Nashville took control from there as seven runs came across the plate in the top of the fourth. The Hornettes were able to take advantage of miscues by the Lady Rockets in the inning as Nashville took advantage of two errors by Okawville.
The Lady Rockets scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the Hornettes came right back with three runs in the sixth. The Hornettes would score seven more runs in the seventh inning with the big hit in that frame being a three run home run by Kyleigh Guinzy. Okawville would go quietly in the seventh as the Hornettes cruised to victory.
Hayley Kujawa pitched the first five innings for Nashville. Kujawa gave up seven hits, two earned runs and struck out two batters. Guinzy pitched the final two innings, and did not give up a hit. Guinzy struck out four.
Thirteen different players notched hits for the Hornettes in the win. McFeron led the way with three hits. McFeron drove in a run and stole four bases. Guinzy. And Burcham each finished with two hits and drove in three runs in the contest. Burcham scored three runs, while Guinzy scored one run. Joey Lane notched two hits, scored a run, and drove in a run. Olivia Cook drove in two runs and scored a run on one hit. Taylor Rapp, Kasten, and Stiegman each finished with one hit, one run scored and one RBI. Harris score two runs and notched one hit in the win. Bailey Melton, Josie Woodrome, and Hunter singled and scored a run. Boogie Bartling finished game 1-3.
The Hornettes final game of the season was a rematch of the NIT Championship against Breese Central. The Hornettes again got the better of the Lady Cougars as the Hornettes cruised to a 9-1 win.
Nashville took the lead early with a run in the top of the first. Nashville would add on in the third as the Hornettes took advantage of two errors in the inning to take a 3-0 lead. Central would cut the lead to two with a run of their own in the fourth, but could. Not keep the Hornettes bats quiet.
Nashville put five runs on the board in the top of the fifth inning to take control and never looked back. The Hornettes would add another run in the seventh as they grabbed their 20th win of the season.
After the game, Coach Shaun Renth talked about his team’s defense.“I thought we did a really good job today defensively. That is what I told the girls. We made some nice plays today. We don’t expect them to make spectacular plays, but we expect them to make routine plays, and I think we did that today. I think Kyleigh was really good for us. She’s really throwing the ball well right now.”
Guinzy went the distance in the circle. Guinzy gave up just four hits and struck out five while giving up one earned run.
Stiegman provided the run support in the contest. Stiegman finished 2-4 with two runs scored and four RBIs. Heck added two RBIs on two hits. Kasten scored three runs and notched two singles in the contest, while Harris finished 2-4 with two RBIs. McFeron finished with two hits, and two runs scored in the win. Libby Ahlers singled and scored in the game. Guinzy drove in a run and hit a double. Burcham finished the game 1-4.