Photo by Jake McNeill: Wabasso pitcher Aylah Jenniges (right) high-fives teammate Audrey Johnson after scoring a run in the seventh inning of a Section 3A softball semifinal matchup against Lac qui Parle Valley on Wednesday at the Marshall Softball Complex. The Rabbits scored eight runs in the seventh inning of the game to take down the Eagles 10-6 and advance to the section championship for the third consecutive season.

MARSHALL — The Wabasso softball team strung together a series of clutch hits in the bottom of the seventh on Wednesday against Lac qui Parle Valley to rally ahead for a Section 3A semifinal win, 10-6. The South’s top-seeded Rabbits trailed by a pair of runs entering the day after rain forced the game to be postponed in the sixth inning on Tuesday, but they stepped up with their backs against the wall to down the North’s top-seeded Eagles and advance to the section championship for the third consecutive season. 

“We’re only focused on one game at a time,” Wabasso head coach Tiffany Eichten said of her team’s ability to recover and return to the section final, adding that she was proud of her team’s play on the day. “They came through the adversity of the game getting canceled yesterday and having to come back, being down 4-2, and they were ready.”

The game was postponed with two outs and Rabbits on second and third in the top of the sixth on Tuesday. While Wabasso wasn’t able to push a run across when play resumed on Wednesday, they retired the side in order in the bottom of the frame before the bats heated up in the seventh.

An Audrey Johnson walk and an Aylah Jenniges single brought the go-ahead run to the plate for the Rabbits to start the seventh. Macy Rohlik singled in Johnson to get Wabasso within a run, an Eagle error on a Sara Carlson bunt allowed Jenniges to score the tying run, and Macy Rohlik scored on a wild pitch to give the Rabbits a 5-4 lead.

“[I was just thinking] give it 100%, I just need to do this for my team and community,” Rohlik said of her thoughts as she sprinted down the basepaths for the go-ahead run. She added that the team likes to use music in the dugout to bring up the energy and keep the bench ready to encourage their teammates on the field. 

Another passed ball allowed Carlson to score another Wabasso run, Kayleigha Johnson singled to put another runner on base, and she scored on an Alivia Olson single. Delaina Eis also reached on an error to score Olson. Another error on a Peyton Jenniges bunt and a two-run single from Johnson made the score 10-4 before a line-out double play ended the inning.

“It was really amazing. We all just believed that we could, and we obviously did it, so it’s just an amazing win for us,” Wabasso center fielder Camryn Irlbeck said. 

“They came with energy, and we’ve talked about that all year,” Eichten said. “Just play your game, have your own energy and it’s everyone from the bench to the starting lineup. Everyone on this team is important.”

Wabasso made the section final each of the last two seasons. They advanced out of the elimination bracket before falling 5-4 to Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian in the first game of the 2023 final, and took down Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 6-5 in the first game of the 2024 section championship after advancing out of the elimination bracket before falling 11-1 in the second game. This time, however, the Rabbits will have the advantage of emerging from the winner’s bracket. 

Despite the Wabasso rally, LQPV rallied in the bottom of the seventh to make a game out of it. Kendly Shelstad and Brandi Meyer walked to start the inning, and a pair of RBI singles brought the Eagles within four runs of the Rabbits with two runners on and no outs. Yet, back-to-back fly outs and a strikeout secured the Wabasso victory.

Aylah Jenniges pitched all seven innings for Wabasso to earn the win, striking out six batters while giving up six earned runs on 10 hits and four walks. For the Eagles, Maya Sawatzky also went the distance, giving up five earned runs on 11 hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

Irlbeck gave the Rabbits the game’s first run with a solo shot to left field in the top of the second. The hit was Irlbeck’s first homer of the season after hitting two as a sophomore last year, as well as the Rabbits’ lone extra-base hit of the day.

“I think it was a great spark of energy for everybody and a great way to start off the game,” Irlbeck said of her home run. “I know we kind of settled there for a bit, but we brought it back today and one for our team.”

Rohlik and Olson led Wabasso at the plate with three hits and an RBI each in the game. Audrey Johnson also finished with a single, a walk and two RBIs while Aylah Jenniges added another pair of singles.

The Rabbits bolstered their lead in the third when Aylah Jenniges reached on an error and Rohlik singled to put two runners on with two outs, and Kayleigha Johnson reached on an error to drive in Jenniges.

LQPV tied up the game when Meyer and Kayla Jahn singled to start the inning and Caleigh Conn hit a two-run single to make the score 2-2. Wabasso retired each of the next three Eagles to get out of the inning without further damage, but LQPV rallied with two outs in the bottom of the fifth on a Shelstad walk, a Meyer single and a two-run double from Jahn to claim a 4-2 edge.

Jahn finished the day with a double, two singles and three RBIs for the Eagles, Conn singled twice for three RBIs and Meyer logged two singles and a walk in the loss.

Wabasso improves to 18-6 on the season with the win and now advances out of the winner’s bracket to the section championship game. They’ll take on Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian out of the elimination bracket today at 4 p.m. at the Marshall Softball Complex. The Rabbits need just one win in two games to return to the state tournament, while the Dutchmen need to beat the Rabbits twice in a row to advance out of the section for the 10th time since 2014. A win would give the Rabbits their seventh section title and first since 2010. 

“We need to keep our defense strong, keep out bats rallying it up, and just keep our energy strong,” Rohlik said when asked what the Rabbits need to do in order to carry Wednesday’s momentum into today’s section final.