Photo by Jake McNeill: Yellow Medicine East pitcher Bayli Sneller throws from the mound during a Section 3A tournament elimination bracket softball game against Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian on Wednesday in Marshall. The Sting lost 4-1 to the Dutchmen, ending their season at 14-8.

MARSHALL — After inclement weather postponed the finish of Wednesday’s Section 3A elimination bracket matchup between No. 2N Yellow Medicine East and No. 2S Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian on Tuesday, play resumed at the Marshall softball Complex on Wednesday. While the Sting was able to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh, they weren’t able to overcome the four-run deficit they faced entering the day and suffered a 4-1 season-ending loss.

Yellow Medicine East trailed by four runs heading into the bottom of the seventh when their bats started to click. With two outs, Ella Cherveny singled to get on base. She advanced to third on a Bayli Sneller single and scored as the Dutchmen tried to throw out Sneller at second. Sneller then advanced to third as Edgerton tried to get the play at the plate, but was left stranded in scoring position as the Dutchmen got the game-ending strikeout.

“The game’s not done until the final out, and we had to continue to play with that mindset,” YME head coach Jen Sneller said of her team’s last-inning rally. “We asked the girls to own their positions defensively and to swing with confidence in the box. They did exactly what we asked them to, but unfortunately, we just came up short in the end.”

Wednesday’s result still marked a drastic leap forward for the Sting, who finish the 2025 season at 14-8 just a year after finishing 8-14. This year’s YME squad reached the third round of the elimination bracket after entering last year’s tournament as a No. 5 seed and falling in the first round of the elimination bracket.

Coach Sneller noted the team’s youth as a key factor in its improvement this year, noting that they brought back a full roster after fielding a team with no seniors last season.

“Having last year’s entire season together and learning through the hardships and growing together, we just carried that over into this season,” coach Sneller said. “Just working on communication, being mentally tougher and just making sure that they knew that all of the little things matter in the game. As long as they were doing it together, they were going to find success.”

Bayli Sneller threw all seven innings for the Sting, striking out 12 batters while surrendering three earned runs on five hits and seven walks.

Presley Van Dyke also went the distance for the Dutchmen, allowing one earned run on four hits and four walks with six strikeouts.

The elimination bracket draw was a tough one for the Sting. Edgerton/Southwest Christian has been a juggernaut in Section 3A over the last 10 seasons, claiming nine section championships and three state titles and a pair of state runner-up finishes. The Dutchmen will aim to return to the state tournament after falling short for the first time in over a decade last year, when Russell-Tyler-Ruthton advanced out of 3A.

Alana Almich led YME at the plate, accounting for two of the Sting’s four singles on the day, while Cherveny walked twice and hit a single.

E/SWC surged ahead in the top of the third when Kya Voge walked, Addie Nibbelink singled and Cathryn Feikema walked to load the bases with no outs. A passed ball allowed Voge to score the go-ahead run and Elliott Fleischman singled to drive in Nibbelink.

Two innings later, Nibbelink and Feikeman walked before a Reagan Wahlof double and a Kami Smit sacrifice fly drove in both runners for a 4-0 Dutchmen advantage.

Feikema drew three walks on the day while Fleischman logged a single and two walks.

Yellow Medicine East finishes its season at 14-8 just a year after finishing 8-14. The Sting will have another large returning cast next season, graduating just one senior in right fielder Riley Haar.

“[Haar is] going to be missed a lot next season. She just brings a vibe that can’t be matched,” coach Sneller said. “Her energy is contagious, her positivity is contagious and her work ethic is so strong. Someone has big shoes to fill next year for that role.”

The Sting’s leap forward still brings optimism for next season. The roster was notably young again, with juniors Sneller, Almich and Cherveny joining Haar as the only upperclassmen.

“I think just the experience being in this position, from an age standpoint, we’re still fairly young and they didn’t know what it felt like to be here,” Sneller said. “I think now, knowing what it feels like and then also taking the hurt from today’s game and not wanting to be in this position next year, I think it’s going to make them work that much harder to be on the winner’s field.”