RTR 10, Dawson-Boyd 0 (5 inn.)

DAWSON — Laken Baartman hit her eighth home run of the season while Daryssa Cruz ran in four batters and Jaida Fricke pitched a complete-game shutout allowing no walks to help highlight the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton softball team’s 10-0 mercy-rule win over Dawson-Boyd Monday night.

Everyone had a part in the Knights’ all-around team win.

In addition to Baartman and Cruz’s offensive performance, Grace DeVries also had three RBIs while going 2 for 3 at the plate, while Fricke and Baartman shared a team-high of three runs each. Morgan Appel also went 2 for 4 at the plate and accounted for a pair of runs.

RTR chipped away at its lead through the first three innings, and capped off the win to end the night early behind a three and four-run fourth and fifth inning. The Knights overall outhit the Blackjacks 11-3.

Fricke finished the day with nine strikeouts, while not allowing a single walk.

Baartman’s homer was the Knights’ first hit of the day in her first at-bat in the opening inning, hitting the ball over the left-field fence.

To end the game in the fifth, DeVries first drove in Appel and Fricke on a two-run RBI double with a line drive to third base.

Joee Thooft scored the next run on a Cruz fly-ball single to center field, and Cruz scored the final run of the night with bases loaded as Payton Johansen was walked.

For the Blackjacks, Shay Bothun pitched the first 3 2/3 innings, and tossed four strikeouts while allowing five walks and seven hits. Kadyn Perkins came in as relief, and also threw a strikeout in her 1 1/3 innings.

Kate Gruwell led Dawson-Boyd offensively, going a perfect 2 for 2 at the plate. Ragan Veissman also had a hit.

Dawson-Boyd will remain at home and will next host Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., as the Blackjacks will do the same with Benson on Friday.

RTR (9-8) will remain on the road for its third of a five-game road trip to end the regular season when it travels to Lakeview on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

BOX SCORE

RTR BATTING

J. Fricke: 2-3, 3R, BB; L. Baartman: 1-2, HR, 3R, RBI, 2BB; G. DeVries: 2-3, 3RBI, BB; D. Cruz: 2-4, R, 4RBI; K. VanderPlaats: 1-3, BB; T. Thooft: 0-0, 2BB; P. Johansen: 1-3, RBI, BB; M. Appel: 2-4, 2R.

RTR PITCHING

J. Fricke: 5 IP, 9 SO, 3H.

DAWSON-BOYD BATTING

K. Gruwell: 2-2; R. Viessman: 1-2.

DAWSON-BOYD PITCHING

S. Bothun: 3.2 IP, 4 SO, 7H, 6ER, 5BB; K. Perkins: 1.1 IP, SO, 4H, 4ER, 3BB.

A/E 5, TMB 2

ADRIAN — Despite a competitive hitting battle and solid pitching performance from Gretchen Lanoue, the Tracy-Milroy-Balaton softball team came up short in a 5-2 loss to Adrian/Ellsworth Monday night.

TMB scored once in the first and third inning, while the Dragons scored twice in the first and once in the bottom of the third for a brief 3-2 edge, before scoring a pair of insurance runs in the fourth inning to hang on for the win as both teams went scoreless over the final three innings.

Lanoue pitched a complete game and threw six strikeouts, allowing two earned runs and one walk.

Braelynn Kirk led the Panthers offensively, going 3 for 4 at the plate with a run, while Melaina Ankrum and Alli Dolan each had two hits as well.

Ankrum scored TMB’s first run in the Panthers’ first plate appearance in the opening inning, scoring on a Dragons’ error that came from Dolan’s hit. She initially reached base with an infield ground ball, and reached on an error.

Kirk had the Panthers next, and final, run of the game in the top of the third, charging home on a Dolan RBI single with a grounder to center field.

A/E was able to find a quick response, adding in two more in the following frame as a result of a TMB defensive error and a sacrifice fly.

TMB finished with seven hits and four errors, to the Dragons’ eight hits and three errors.

The Panthers (8-9) will look to find their way back into the win column when they travel to Ortonville on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. They will then host Renville County West for a doubleheader on Thursday, beginning at 4:30 p.m.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

B. Kirk: 3-4, R; M. Ankrum: 2-4, R; A. Dolan: 2-3, RBI, BB.

PITCHING

G. Lanoue: 6 IP, 6 SO, 8H, 2ER, BB.