Photo by Sam Thiel Marshall’s Lenei Estrada slides safely into home to score a run during their game against Mankato West on Friday. The Tigers fell to the Scarlets 16-6 in five innings.

MARSHALL – The Marshall and Mankato West softball teams put on an offensive clinic in the first couple of innings of their game on Friday. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they couldn’t keep the hot hitting going while the Scarlets did and Marshall fell to Mankato West 16-6 in five innings.

Marshall coach Jack Houseman said he was pleased with their first couple of innings of offense as well as the pitching performance from Ashleigh Steinbach, but they just couldn’t keep up with the Scarlets.

“Ashleigh did a good job of going four innings and we’re proud of her for her performance,” Houseman said. “I liked our first at-bats in the first couple of innings and were able to come back on them, but they ended up to be too much for us.”

The Scarlets jumped out to a strong lead right away, using six hits to plate five runs in the top of the first. But Marshall had an answer in the bottom half of the frame, as Leah Schaefer drew a walk and Lenei Estrada reached on a bunt single before Paige Andries drilled a two-run double to get the Tigers on the board. After a pair of quick outs, Brenna Springborg reached on an infield single to plate another run and cut the deficit to 5-3 after one.

Mankato West would score again in the next half-inning on an RBI double to extend its lead to three, but once again, the Tigers responded on the offensive end. Madison Wegner would get things going with a one-out walk before Schaefer and Estrada reached on back-to-back singles to load the bases. Andries then stepped up and with a quick swing, cleared the basepaths with another double to tie things up at 6-6.

The deadlocked score would be short-lived, however, as Mankato West struck for two runs in the top of the third to take an 8-6 lead before using a big fourth inning that saw the Scarlets plate six runs and push their advantage to 14-6. Not done there, Mankato West added two more runs in the fifth to close out the game and earn the victory.

Andries led the way for the Tigers with a pair of hits and five RBI while Estrada also added two hits. Houseman said their key offensively was their pitch selection and ability to come up with clutch hits to produce runs.

“We made good pitch choices and we got our lefties down on the bases and moved people around and Paige came through big both times with her doubles,” Houseman said. “We just have to keep fighting all the way through to the end.”

Steinbach took the loss in the circle for Marshall, going 3.1 innings while allowing 10 runs on 12 hits and struck out two.

Marshall (1-6) will face New Ulm on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Houseman said their biggest takeaway will be continuing to work and clean things up on the defensive end.

“We still have some defensive work,” Houseman said. “We’re moving people to different spots that they haven’t played before, so we had to make some adjustments.”

Mankato West 16, Marshall 6

(5 innings)

Mankato West 512 62 – 16 14 0

Marshall 330 00 – 6 7 5

HITTING: Marshall (Andries 2 H, 4 RBI; Estrada 2 H; Schaefer 1 H; Springborg 1 H, RBI; Versaevel 1 H).

PITCHING (IP-R-ER-H-BB-SO): Marshall (Steinbach 3.1-10-10-12-3-2; Polejewski 1.2-6-6-2-2-0).