NORTH MANKATO — The No. 4 Marshall softball team’s defense carried it to a first-round win over No. 5 St. Peter in the opening round of the 2AAA softball tournament Thursday afternoon. Brielle Riess capitalized on St. Peter to score and give the Tigers a 1-0 walk-off win over the Saints in game one before being knocked down to the elimination bracket with a 3-0 loss to No. 1 Mankato East in the second round.

After no score through seven innings in the Tigers’ opening-round matchup against the Saints, Marshall and St. Peter needed extra innings to determine a winner. With the exception of a St. Peter double in the top of the eighth, there wasn’t any action in the first inning and a half of extras. It seemed like the ninth would continue the trend, with the first two Marshall batters getting out in the bottom of the frame before Brielle Riess singled to left field. From there, starting pitcher Morgan Bjella hit a ground ball that could have ended the inning, but an error allowed her to reach safely and Riess advanced to third. With runners on the corners, St. Peter committed another error, this time on a ground ball from Lauren Wherry, that allowed Riess to cross the plate and give the Tigers a walk-off win.

Riess also hit the Tigers’ lone extra-base hit, a double to lead off the Marshall lineup in the bottom of the first. She advanced to third with two outs, but the Tigers were unable to send her home.

Bjella was sensational for Marshall in the circle. She threw the full nine innings on an efficient 101 pitches, only 20 of which were balls. She struck out 15 batters with no walks and allowed just four hits. She also stole a base on the offensive end.

Randi Wendorff and Halla Jo Casavan each reached base twice in the game. Wendorff hit a pair of singles while Casavan had a single and a walk.

Kali Erickson threw two scoreless innings for the Saints before being relieved by Auden Anderson. Anderson pitched the remaining 6 2/3 and, like Bjella, allowed just four hits. She walked one batter while striking out six and allowed just one unearned run.

The Saints then faced No. 8 Worthington in the elimination bracket, defeating Worthington 14-1.

In Marshall’s second game of the championship bracket, the Tigers’ pitching and defense wasn’t enough to lead them past the Cougars in a 3-0 loss.

Olivia Houseman started game two in the circle for Marshall. She threw the full six innings while allowing two earned runs on three hits and a pair of walks. She also struck out nine batters.

Mankato East scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the second. Carlie Wendinger singled with one out and advanced to second when Hailey Petzel walked. From there, Wendinger stole third and advanced to home on an error. Petzel advanced to third on the same error before a line-out resulted in a double play to end the inning with a 1-0 Mankato East lead.

Casavan singled in the top of the fourth to give Marshall its only hit of the game. Riess was the only other Tiger to reach base with a leadoff walk in the top of the first.

Kylinn Stangl threw seven innings for the Cougars while striking out eight batters and allowing just two base runners, excluding a pair of errors.

Mankato East tacked on its other two runs after Madeline Beaty singled to start the bottom of the sixth and Stangl hit a home run to left field.

Marshall will face the winner of No. 6 Albert Lea and No. 7 Jordan in the second round of the elimination bracket at Caswell Park in North Mankato on Saturday at 10 a.m.