Colfax softball players exit state after two losses

Colfax senior Sidney Sheer, who hit 3-for-3 in the last game, heads for the plate in a Colfax rally against Dayton.

Colfax softball players Friday posted a short run at the state 2B tournament with two straight losses, one to Warden on a shutout and the second to Dayton on the 10-run rule after an amazing Colfax rally. The two-game stop at the state show wrapped up the Colfax season at 16-10 with a rough run in the playoff rounds after they stacked a 15-3 record in the league campaign.

Colfax in its final elimination game against Dayton ended in a 19-9 defeat after the Bulldogs rallied for nine runs despite being in an 18-1 hole after three innings. Colfax, which scored three runs in the fifth, actually pulled within nine runs of Dayton, but the SE team bumped it back to a 10-run gap to shut down the game and the season for Colfax.

Colfax scored one run in the third inning and then added five in the fourth with Sidney Sheer leading off with a single, Abbie Miller rapping a two-run single and Chelsea Becker hitting a double. They came back for three more in the fifth with Sheer hitting another single, Miller and Maddie Shrope hitting doubles and Sarah Appel and Hailey Aase adding singles.

After the rally stopped, Dayton scored its last run for the 19-9 shutdown.

Abbie Miller started in the pitching circle and allowed 12 hits. Appel pitched to the last six batters and allotted two hits.

Colfax totaled 14 hits in the second game with Sheer hitting 3-for-3 and Miller tagging a double and two singles.

Other hitters in the second game were Becker, double; Shrope, double and single; Appel, single; and Hailey Aase, two singles.

Dayton, which stopped Colfax 5-1 in last week's regional, defeated Concrete 12-3 in the tourney's next consolation round and was then ousted by Brewster 17-7 in the next round.

In the tournament opener, Colfax was blanked 10-0 by Warden. The Cougars totaled 13 hits, and the Bulldogs had just two hits, singles by Aase and Sheer.

Appel struck out two Warden batters and walked three. Colfax also committed three errors against the Cougars.

First-year coach Michelle Miller noted the Bulldogs came a long way in a rebuilding season when they were originally picked to place sixth in the NE race.

Colfax will graduate Appel, its lead pitcher, and four other seniors: Sheer, Aune, Allison Dunning and Roxanne Allenbach.

Aune and Sheer won sportsmanship awards in the two state games.