Pitching to be focus in scintillating Bernie-Advance SB match-up

Veteran Bernie High School softball coach Brad Botsch has a bit of a luxury on his hands, as compared to many softball coaches. The Mules have a solid one-two punch in sophomores Mikalyn Kirkwood and Blair Pleimling on the mound that they can unleash on opponents, and Botsch may need to do just that today when his team takes on unbeaten Advance/Bell City (5-0) at 4:30 p.m. in Bernie.

“(Mikalyn and Blair) have both been pretty solid,” Botsch said of his two arms this season.

Pleimling has been utilized both in relief and as a starter through 15 2/3 innings this spring while Kirkwood has three starts (11 1/3 innings) under her belt.

Pleimling has allowed 15 hits (nine in a loss to Oran), five earned runs, six walks, and struck out four batters, so far.

Kirkwood has given up five hits, two earned runs, walked nine, and struck out 14, half of which came in a 10-0 win over Bloomfield.

“She was a strike thrower (against Bloomfield),” Botsch said of Kirkwood. “I thought she stayed down in the zone and was a strike thrower.

“She mixed up some stuff in there a little bit.”

That wasn’t necessarily the case in a later outing against Dexter.

Kirkwood allowed just one hit in 2 1/3 innings and no earned runs, but Botsch wasn’t thrilled with her three walks in the 10 batters she faced.

“She walked a few too many,” Botsch said. “The other day (against Bloomfield) she threw great and walked one. That is one thing that we want to do is not give away too many free passes.”

That will definitely be a focus against the Hornets, who can put a ton of offense on the board quickly.

Advance/Bell City scored at least 11 runs in its opening four games and is averaging over 11 runs per outing this spring.

Pleimling, perhaps, won’t record a ton of strikeouts against a team like Advance/Bell City, but with her experience, she won’t walk a ton either.

“Blair came in (against Dexter),” Botsch said, “and did a really nice job of throwing strikes while the defense played great behind her.”

As solid as the Bernie pitching is, the Hornets don’t have much to worry about on their end either.

Junior Addison Carlton has been tremendous this spring.

She is coming off a spectacular outing against Scott City, as she threw a complete game in the 4-2 Advance/Bell City win and allowed just four hits, one earned run, walked one, and struck out nine.