EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday throughout the calendar year.

by Jason Nihles, The Plattteville Journal/Fennimore Times/Boscobel Dial

Gretta Grassel, So., P, Boscobel softball
BOSCOBEL — Sophomore pitcher Gretta Grassel and the #2-ranked Boscobel softball team are on a roll. Grassel pitched and hit the Bulldogs, with plenty of help from her teammates, to four more wins in the past week.

Boscobel (9–0, 8–0 SWAL) opened last week with an 11–1 victory at Southwestern. Grassel struck out 18 Wildcats without a walk while allowing two hits, and went 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBI, a walk and a stolen base.

The Bulldogs then swept a two-team doubleheader a last Tuesday, April 26 holding off Fennimore 6–5 in a SWAL game in the opener, before defeated River Ridge 9–8 in a non-conference game on a walk-off RBI single by senior Sarah Knowles in the night cap. Knowles finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and Grace Smith also had an RBI in the opening win over Fennimore.

Grassel struck out 17 and allowed three earned runs —all in the top of the sixth inning — on six hits and three walks. She helped her own cause by going 3-for-4 with two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base in the win. 

Grassel then went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, a walk and a stolen base, and recorded the final out in the top of the seventh to earn the win in the game two victory over the Timberwolves. Junior Katie Kinney went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI. Sophomore Erin Knowles went 3-for-4 and pitched into the seventh inning, striking out six.

Last Thursday, Grassel was back in the pitching circle, striking out 19 of the 23 batters she faced in a 2–0, three-hit shutout over Iowa–Grant (6–7, 5–3). All of the offense was suppled by Sarah Knowles, who blasted a game-winning two-run homer — driving in Grasel who had singled — in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Bulldogs survived a scared Monday afternoon against visiting Cuba City, but escaped with a 4–3 nine-inning victory. Cuba City took a 3–2 lead in the top of the ninth on a homer by Riley Kraus.

But a pair of fielding errors kept the Bulldogs alive in the bottom of the ninth and Grace Smith delivered a clutch two-out, two-run walk-off single up the middle to scored Kinney and Grassel, who reached on an intentional walk. 

Grassel struck out 19 Cubans and allowed just one earned run on two hits in the nine-inning complete game victory.

Over the past five games, Grassel has gone 13 for 17 (.765) with two doubles, two home runs, six RBI, nine runs, six stolen bases and three walks. She is also 5–0 with 73 strikeouts, eight walks and 13 hits in 30 innings pitched.

Grassel is now batting .692 (18 for 26) with three home runs, 10 RBI, three doubles, 14 runs, nine stolen bases, a .724 on-base percentage and a 1.951 OPS at the plate, while posting a 9–0 record with a 0.87 ERA with 133 strikeouts (currently fourth in the entire state) and 15 walks in 56 1/3 innings pitched. 

HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Mia Hodgson, Jr., P, Belmont softball
Hodgson went 4–0 on the mound with 23 Ks and was 9-for-19 at the plate with five doubles, eight RBI and six runs scored in four games last week for the Six Rivers West-leading Braves (12–2, 9–1). Hodgson went 4-for-6 at the plate with four doubles, five RBI and three runs while also earning the pitching victory after allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in a 31–2 win over Benton/Shullsburg last Tuesday. Hodgson finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs and pitched two innings to earn the win in a 19–2 rout of Monticello/New Glarus Friday, then did not allow an earned run and limited River Ridge to just one hit in a 6–2 win Monday afternoon. 

Grace Ganshert, Sr., P, Argyle softball
Ganshert went 4–1 in the circle last week allowing six total runs and three earned runs in 31-2/3 innings while striking out 59 and yielding just 12 hits and 11 walks. At the plate she went 7-for-20 with two triples, two doubles, three RBI and five runs scored.

Jonah Vogt, Sr., jumps, Cassville/Potosi track and field
Jonah Vogt broke a 36-year old school record in the triple jump at the Christopher Becker Memorial Invite in Cuba City. For the Cassville/Potosi boys, who finished 10th with 26 total points, Vogt led the way with a first-place finish in the long jump (19’4.5”) and a second-place finish in the triple jump (42’1”). Vogt’s performance in the triple jump was good enough to break both the Cassville school record and the Cassville/Potosi co-op record. The previous school record at Cassville of 41’2” was set by Bill Ackerman in 1986, and the previous co-op record of 40’2” was held by Colin Esser.

Kobe Vosberg, Sr., P, Cuba City baseball
Vosberg outdueled Fennimore's Lucas Lendosky last Tuesday, striking out 12 Eagles and allowing just one run on three hits in a 2–1 complete game victory. Vosberg also went 1-for-2 with a run scored in the first-place Cubans' 3–2 in over Riverdale Friday afternoon. Cuba City is currently 9–1 overall and 5–0 in the SWAL.