MCC 13, LQPV 3

SLAYTON — Despite trailing heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, the Murray County Central softball team exploded late against Lac qui Parle Valley to pull out a 13-3 win over the Eagles in five innings on Friday.

Elyse Paulzine led off the fifth inning with a walk and Morgan Winter and Calleigh Doeden each reached on errors to score Paulzine with two runners on, making the score 8-3.

Ava Deacon drew a walk to load the bases with one out and Emmi Peltola drew another to force in another run.

After a fielder’s choice got the second out of the inning at the plate, Abby Loosbrock smashed a grand slam to left field to seal the Rebels’ 13-3 win with the mercy rule.

The Rebels trailed 3-1 when it was their turn to bat in the fourth inning. It didn’t take long for the momentum to shift. Abby Loosbrock led off the inning with a single and, after stealing second and advancing to third on a passed ball, she scored when LQPV made an error on an Atalie Rosenbrook grounder. Paulzine then walked and, with one out, Doeden doubled to right field to drive in Rosenbrook to tie the game.

Kate Blankenship kept the rally going with a two-run single to give the Rebels their first lead of the day. Ava Deacon reached base on an error and Blankenship stole third and scored on an error to make the score 6-3 in favor of the Rebels.

Peltola and Loosbrock each walked to load the bases with two outs. Deacon then scored on a passed ball before the Eagles finally ended the inning on a fielder’s choice.

Thea Schneider pitched all five innings for the Rebels, allowing no earned runs on four hits and a walk. She also struck out four batters on the day.

A leadoff error in the second inning allowed LQPV to jump out to an early 2-0 lead. The Rebels responded when consecutive singles from Deacon and Peltola gave the Rebels a run in the third inning but LQPV re-extended its lead with another run in the top of the fourth.

Murray County Central improves to 4-1 with the win. The Rebels will go on the road to face undefeated Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in their next game on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.

RTR 9, TMB 1

TRACY — The Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Knights were forced to play the full seven innings for just the second time all year when they went on the road to face off against the Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Panthers on Friday. Even without a mercy-rule win, however, the Knights dominated their way to a 7-1 victory.

The Knights’ only other game to go the distance in their first five games was a road matchup against Lac qui Parle Valley on April 8, which the Knights won 1-0.

The Knights got their first run of the game when a Madi Burns single, a Kya Alderson double, and a Laken Baartman intentional walk loaded the bases to start the game. Daryssa Cruz hit a grounder to shortstop but Burns beat the throw home to make the score 1-0 in favor of the Knights.

With no outs against them and the bases loaded, the Knights failed to capitalize any further in the top of the first. A pair of strikeouts broken up by a fielder’s choice at the plate ended the inning with the Knights scratching across just one run.

Alderson struck out the side in the bottom of the frame and the Knights rode that momentum into the second inning, in which they pulled away. Briella Buchert reached on an error and a Burns double put runners on the corners with no outs. The Knights opted to intentionally walk Alderson to load the bases and Baartman took advantage with a two-run double. Alderson then scored on a passed ball and Baartman scored on a Cruz groundout to make the score 5-0 after the second.

Alderson remained perfect on the season, striking out 13 of the 25 batters she faced in seven innings of work. She allowed just one hit and the lone run she allowed was unearned.

Jaida Fricke took to the circle for the Panthers in the loss. She pitched the full seven innings, surrendering six earned runs on 13 hits. She also struck out six batters on the day.

TMB first got on the board in the bottom of the seventh. Melaina Ankrum reached base on a fielding error after she hit a fly ball to center field. A strikeout and a pop-out nearly allowed the Knights to end the inning and a fielding error on a Fricke bunt scored Ankrum to make the score 9-1.

Baartman and ALderson led all batters with three hits each on the day, including a pair of doubles for Baartman. Cruz and Baartman each also added four RBIs in the game.

TMB’s lone hit came on a Jordyn Hanson single with one out in the bottom of the fourth. She advanced on an Ankrum sacrifice bunt but a strikeout ended the inning with the Panthers still scoreless.

RTR tacked on an extra pair of insurance runs in both the third and fifth innings to put the game away.

The Knights improve to 5-0 with the win and will look to keep the ball rolling at Pipestone Area on Monday at 4:30 p.m.

Tracy-Milroy-Balaton falls to 0-2 with the loss. The Panthers will have the opportunity to bounce back up to .500 when they head to Cottonwood for a doubleheader against Lakeview on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.

PREP BASEBALL

RRC/WWG 11, YME 1 (5)

LAMBERTON — The Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove baseball team was unstoppable on Friday, scoring in each of the five innings of their 11-1 win over Yellow Medicine East. The lopsided victory was the Falcons’ second in a row, putting them over .500 on the season.

YME put runners on first and second in the top of the first inning, courtesy of an RRC/WWG error and a Braden Nelson single. Yet, the Falcons got out of the inning when Hudsen Jenniges struck out back-to-back batters.

In the bottom of the frame, the Falcons made the Sting pay for leaving runners on. Jake Jackson and Quintyn Vold drew back-to-back walks to start the inning. The runners advanced to second and third on a ground out and Isaac Simonson singled to third to score Jackson for the go-ahead run. A Corey Arkell single to right field on the next play scored Vold for a 2-0 RRC/WWG lead before a strikeout and a fielder’s choice ended the inning.

Jenniges pitched the game’s first three innings, surrendering one unearned run on two hits. He also struck out four batters without allowing a walk before being relieved by Vold to start the fourth.

Vold and Simonson each pitched a scoreless, hitless inning of relief. They each also struck out three batters while Vold walked one.

While the first inning put the Falcons on top, the second put them out of reach. Abe Stavnes and Tyler Therkilsen each singled to start the frame and, after Jackson grounded into a fielder’s choice to get Stavnes out, Voldsingled to left field to punch in a run.

The Falcons continued to rally when Jenniges drilled a ground ball into left field for another two runs and Simonson drove a double to left field to score Jenniges for a 6-0 Falcons advantage, prompting YME to send Drew Monson to the mound to relieve Nelson.

An error on an Arkell pop fly kept the inning alive. A strikeout put two outs against the Falcons but a Carter Therkilson walk loaded the bases and a five-pitch Stavnes walk forced in a run for a 7-0 RRC/WWG lead.

After relieving Nelson in the second inning, Monsoon pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing two unearned runs on no hits and five walks. He struck out three batters. Wilke also pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief, allowing one earned run on three hits and three walks.

Andrew Flaten and Nelson each singled on the day to account for the Sting’s only hits while Stavnes, Simonson and Therkilson each had a pair for Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove.

The Falcons scored another two runs in the third inning and one more in the fourth. In need of just one run to trigger the run rule heading into the bottom of the fifth, Carter Therkilson was hit by a pitch, advanced on a Stavnes single and scored the game-ending run on a Tyler Therkilson single to left field.

Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove improves to 2-1 with the win. The Falcons will next take on the Minneota Vikings in Minneota on Monday at 4 p.m.

The Yellow Medicine East Sting fall to 0-3 on the season and will host Tracy-Milroy-Balaton for their home opener on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.

Wabasso 10, Lakeview 1

COTTONWOOD — As the Wabasso baseball team’s game against the Lakeview Lakers progressed on Friday night, their bats only got stronger. The Rabbits slowly increased their advantage over the Lakers over the course of seven innings to pull out a 10-1 victory.

Wabasso struck first in the first inning when Joe Liebl reached on a walk, stole second and third, and scored on a Jayden Remiger single.

After a dormant second inning, the Rabbits got after it offensively again. Zach Skoblik hit a leadoff walk and, after a strikeout and a lineout, Liebl and Remiger were hit by consecutive pitches. Liebl and Skoblik both scored on passed balls to make the score 3-0.

After the Lakers scored another pair of runs in the top of the fourth, Lakeview got on the board when Braylon Breyfogle singled, stole second, and scored on a Tucker Fiene single. It was their only run of the game.

Liebl pitched the first six innings for Wabasso while recording the win. He allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out 12 of the 23 batters he faced. Noah Anderson also pitched a scoreless inning of relief, striking out each of the three batters he faced.

Breyfogle started on the mound for Lakeview, surrendering four hits and three walks over four innings. In a three-inning relief outing, Fiene allowed two hits and three walks while striking out eight batters. Breyfogle and Fiene were each tagged for five runs.

Kaysen Harms had a single, a double and a walk for Wabasso while Fiene had a single and a double for the Lakers. Breyfogle also singled twice.

Wabasso improves to 1-2 after picking up its first win of the season. They’ll next go on the road to take on Sleepy Eye St. mary’s on Monday at 5 p.m.

The Lakers fall to 0-4 with the loss and will look to bounce back on the road at Renville County West on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.