Photo by Jake McNeill: The Wabasso softball team celebrates with Sara Carlson (5) as she trots to home plate after hitting a home run in the fifth inning of a Section 3A tournament game against Lakeview, Tuesday in Wabasso.

WABASSO — Aylah Jenniges’ perfection on the mound and the Wabasso softball team’s consistency at the plate led the Rabbits to a pair of wins to kick off the Section 3A softball tournament. Entering the postseason as the top seed in the South bracket, Wabasso routed Murray County Central 10-0 in five innings in the opener and followed up with an 11-1 win over No. 5 Lakeview in five innings in the second round.

Jenniges threw a perfect game in the opening win over MCC and carried it over into the nightcap with another three perfect innings, totalling five strikeouts across the two games. She also racked up three hits at the plate.

“I think a lot of the time, it’s my defense that carries me, honestly,” Jenniges said. “They’re the ones that help me, keep me positive, make all of the plays for me. So all I have to do is pitch the ball.”

Wabasso scored in nine of the 10 innings that they played across the two games, only getting blanked in the first inning of the Lakeview game before scoring multiple runs in each of the ensuing four frames and three runs in each of the final three innings.

“It really makes the game fun. The energy was great today and it’s great to see, top through the bottom, everyone’s contributing,” Wabasso head coach Tiffany Eichten said. “It’s a huge team effort.”

Sara Carlson hit her first homer of the season in the fifth inning of the second game, helping the Rabbits get closer and closer to the mercy rule.

“I was very excited, and just very happy that we were going to win,” Carlson said of her thoughts as she trotted the bases after the homer.

Wabasso improves to 18-5 with the pair of wins and next takes on the North’s second-seeded Lac qui Parle Valley in the section quarterfinals at the Marshall Softball Complex on Saturday at 11 a.m. With a win, they would take on the winner of No. 1N Yellow Medicine East or No. 2S BOLD in the semifinals on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.

“We’ve just got to keep playing our game. We’re a great ball team when we’re playing our game, so the big thing is just to stay focused on the little things that have gotten us this far, so far,” Eichten said.

“It feels really good going into Saturday being in the winner’s bracket,” Carlson added. “I think we just need to have really good energy and have great defense and offense.”

FIRST ROUND

Wabasso 10, MCC 0

Jenniges threw a perfect game in the circle and drove in a pair of runs for the Wabasso softball team in its Section 3A tournament opener against Murray County Central on Tuesday. The top-seeded Rabbits went ahead early and pulled away with a five-run fourth inning to claim a 10-0 win over the Rebels in five innings.

“Aylah’s putting the ball in the spots that we’re calling and letting her defense do the work. We have a great defense behind her, and she’s just trusting them,” Eichten said. “We just showed today how solid our defense can be.”

Jenniges retired each of the 15 batters she faced in the game, striking out three, and logged a double and a single at the plate. Audrey Johnson also finished the game with two hits, two RBIs and a pair of stolen bases, and Cassie Bliss finished the day with a single, two walks and two stolen bases.

Wabasso loaded the bases in the bottom of the first when Macy Rohlik reached on an error, Delaina Eis walked and Jenniges was hit by a pitch. With one out, Rohlik scored on a wild pitch, but a fielder’s choice at the plate and a pop out ended the inning without further damage.

Bliss led off the fourth with a single, but MCC retired each of the next two Rabbit batters. Still, Audrey Johnson reached base on an error to score Bliss, and after a walk to Eis, Jenniges hit a two-run double.

Kayleigha Johnson also reached base on an error to push across another run, and after back-to-back walks to Camryn Irlbeck and Carlson, Bliss drew the Rabbits’ third consecutive walk to drive in a run and cap off the frame with a 9-0 lead.

Kate Blankenship pitched the full 4 2/3 innings for MCC. She didn’t allow an earned run, but the Rebels’ six errors left her with 10 unearned runs. Blankenship struck out a pair of batters while giving up six hits and six walks.

Audrey Johnson singled in the fifth and scored on a passed ball with two outs to cap off the mercy-rule win.

In the second inning, Audrey Johnson hit a two-run single with two outs to bring the score to 3-0. An inning later, Kayleigha Johnson singled and Ava Kodet — in as a courtesy runner for her — scored on a passed ball.

BOX SCORE

WABASSO

BATTING

M. Rohlik: 0-4, R, SB; A. Johnson: 2-3, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB; D. Eis: 0-2, 2 BB, R, SO; A. Jenniges: 2-2 (2B), HBP, 2 RBI, R; K. Johnson: 1-3, SB; C. Irlbeck: 0-2, BB; S. Carlson: 0-2, BB, R, SB; C. Bliss: 1-1, 2 BB, RBI, 2 R, 2 SB.

PITCHING

A. Jenniges: W, 5 IP, 3 SO.

MCC

PITCHING

K. Blankenship: L, 4.2 IP, 6 H, 10 R, 6 BB, 2 SO.

SECOND ROUND

Wabasso 11, Lakeview 1 (5 inn.)

With one out in the fifth and in need of three runs to trigger the mercy rule, Carlson blasted her first home run of the season to straightaway center field to start the frame on a high note. Walks to Bliss and Peyton Jenniges put the winning run on base, and Rohlik grounded into a fielder’s choice to drive in Jenniges before scoring herself on a passed ball.

Aylah Jenniges earned her second win of the day in the second game, throwing three perfect innings to start the game and finishing allowing just one unearned run on four hits with no walks.

Kayleigha Johnson led the Wabasso offense in the game with a pair of doubles and an RBI. Irlbeck also contributed two singles and two RBIs while Rohlik added a double, a single and an RBI.

Lakeview retired each of the first four Wabasso batters. Yet, the offense snapped into form when a Kayleigha Johnson double and an Irlbeck single put runners on the corners in the second, and an error and a passed ball allowed both runners to score to claim the lead.

Wabasso began to pull away in the third when singles by Rohlik and Aylah Jenniges put two runners on with two outs, and a Kayleigha Johnson RBI double and a two-run single by Irlbeck brought the score to 5-0.

Taylor Hinz led off the fourth with a single, but Alexa Remiger put together an outstanding effort in right field to make a web-gem grab and throw the ball to first for a double play to clear the basepaths.

Lakeview capitalized on a pair of Wabasso errors in the top of the fifth to push across a run, but it wasn’t enough to prolong the game past the mercy rule.

Bliss and Peyton Jenniges drew consecutive walks to start the inning, and a passed ball and a Rohlik double sent them both home. Audrey Johnson then singled in Rohlik, bringing the score to 8-0.

BOX SCORE

WABASSO

BATTING

M. Rohlik: 2-4 (2B), RBI, 2 R; A. Johnson: 1-3, RBI; D. Eis: 0-3, R; A. Jenniges: 1-3, R; K. Johnson: 2-3 (2 2B), RBI, R; C. Irlbeck: 2-3, 2 RBI, R, 2 SB; S. Carlson: 1-2 (HR), BB, RBI, R, SB, SO; C. Bliss: 0-1, 2 BB, R; P. Jenniges: 0-1, 2 BB, 2 R.

PITCHING

A. Jenniges: W, 5 IP, 4 H, R, 2 SO.

LAKEVIEW

BATTING

K. Hinz: 1-3; T. Hinz: 1-2; K. Gawarecki: 1-2, R; M. Velde: 1-2, RBI.

PITCHING

M. Anderson: L, 4.2 IP, 9 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 5 BB, SO.