Ram SB team trounces Atlantic 16-2

By SUE RIEDER
sports@beeherald.com
July 13 was softball player Hannah Onken’s birthday, and according to her mother Brenda, one of the presents that the senior first baseman wanted was a victory over Atlantic and a trip back to the state tournament in Fort Dodge. Her wish came true, as the Ram softball team cranked out 21 hits and 16 runs to defeat the Trojans 16-2 in six innings.
Atlantic came into the game with a 32-10 record and had scored 12 runs in both of their previous postseason games, but after scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning on a two run homer, the Black and Gold were silent offensively for the remainder of the evening. Meanwhile, Greene County scored six in the top of the second, one in the third, four in the fourth, and five in the fifth. Carleigh Paup led the Rams at the plate, driving in three runs with two singles, one double, and one triple. Emma Saddoris blasted two doubles and two singles and brought in two runs. Kayla Mobley knocked in three runs with two singles, and Emily Christensen scored two with two doubles. Other Rams contributing to the offensive barrage were Onken with three singles ( 2 RBI), Tressa Rasmussen with two singles (1 RBI), Marissa Promes with one single (2 RBI), Sydney Koch with one single and one double (1 RBI), and Bailey Godwin with one single.
Marissa Promes had another solid performance pitching for the Rams, giving up only two earned runs, on two hits, while striking out five and walking just one batter. The Ram defense was effective also. They had two errors in the game, but neither one really affected the outcome of the contest. The Trojans had five errors, which helped the Rams keep offensive surges going especially in the second and fourth innings.
“I am very proud of this team,” said Coach Tom Kennedy. “This is such a great group of kids. They make coming to practice so enjoyable because they come everyday wanting to work hard to improve. Atlantic is a good team. We happened to catch them  on a night when they gave us a few more outs, and everybody was really hitting.”