YME’s second Tuesday game in the subsection semifinals against the winner of No. 4 MACCRAY and No. 5 Renville County West/Central Minnesota Christian was not completed at the time of publication. Full coverage of both games can be found online.

“It will be huge to get the next game, because going in 2-0, it relieves a little pressure going into Saturday, but it also brings momentum for us,” YME’s Alana Almich said. “We want to get this second one, but it feels good to win big right away.”

The Sting earned the top seed in the North subsection after finishing the regular season 16-5 overall. The Sting made a deep run to last season’s section tournament, one win away from the section semifinals, but suffered a loss to eventual-section champion Wabasso and then Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian in the elimination bracket.

Wabasso again earned the top seed in the South subsection this year.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Yellow Medicine East's Everra Leenerts makes a diving catch at shortstop against Ortonville in the Section 3A North Tournament first round on Tuesday in Granite Falls.

YME got right to business with a pair of runs in the opening inning, tacking on five runs in the second inning and controlling the pace of the game the rest of the way.

Sneller pitched a one-hitter shutout through her four innings in the circle with a pair of strikeouts and one walk. Emma Keller came in for relief for the final inning to help give Sneller some rest ahead of game 2, and didn’t allow any hits with one walk.

The Sting also closed the regular season with an 11-0 win in five innings against Ortonville last Thursday.

After opening the game with a quick trio of outs between a Sneller strikeout and two Sting infield plays, YME’s Brianna Nelson and Elayna Kling accounted for the team’s first two runs in their first plate appearance in the bottom of the first.

The energy in the Sting dugout was high and contagious straight away, cheering one another on to get the bats going quickly.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Yellow Medicine East's Bayli Sneller throws a pitch against Ortonville in the Section 3A North Tournament first round on Tuesday in Granite Falls.

“We are a goofy group, I would say,” Almich said, laughing. “Once someone gets energy, it all kind of bounces off each other. That first hit we get, the energy just gets going.”

Nelson had the first hit of the day with a line-drive single to left-center field, and put herself in scoring position following Sneller and Ella Cherveny singles. Kling courtesy ran for Sneller.

With bases loaded and Nelson on third, Keller was hit by a pitch to allow Nelson to score. Kling then ran home shortly after on a passed ball before the Trojans could wrap up the final outs.

The hits kept coming as the Sting put together a rally in the second inning for another five runs to build their lead up to 7-0.

Charlotte Paslawski got things started with a walk and quickly stole second, and got to third with a sacrifice hit from Everra Leenerts. Paslawski then charged home on a passed ball.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Yellow Medicine East's Emma Keller eyes down a pitch against Ortonville in the Section 3A North Tournament first round on Tuesday in Granite Falls.

Kourtney Peterson sent a line drive to left field and stole second as well, as the Sting strategically amped up their baserunning aggressiveness.

After taking to third base on a passed ball, Peterson scored on an RBI single from Nelson,

Nelson was out at second following an infield base hit from Sneller, for whom Kling came in as a courtesy runner. Kling scored with the help of a big RBI double on a fly ball to right-center field from Almich.

Almich sported a wide smile while running back to the dugout as Evi Jimenez came in to courtesy run for the full-time catcher, and Jimenez wasn’t in the field for long as a single from Cherveny helped send her home.

“It was good to start off with a big hit like that in the playoffs,” Almich said. “It’s fun when I get one of the little ones to run for me.”

Photo by Samantha Davis: Yellow Medicine East's Charlotte Paslawski catches an infield fly ball against Ortonville in the Section 3A North Tournament first round on Tuesday in Granite Falls.

Ortonville committed a throwing error on Cherveny’s hit, which allowed her to get to third base and for Jimenez to score on the same error.

Cherveny continued to take advantage of the error, scoring the final run of the inning on a passed ball.

Ortonville was called twice for leading off the base too early in the top of the third to help return YME back to the plate quickly, as the Sting added three more runs to officially put the score in mercy-rule territory, 10-0.

Notably, Leenerts had a handful of impressive defensive plays at shortstop throughout the opening game, including a diving catch in the second inning.

The Sting officially put an end to the first game in the top of the fifth with three big infield plays. Keller fielded a ball in the pitcher’s circle and tossed to one, just as Peterson did the same from third base directly after, and a diving catch at second base from Paslawski secured the final out.

“They [our defense] have grown a lot. They are always on their toes, ready,” Almich said. “Sometimes, it gets a little quiet with Bayli pitching, because she does really good in the circle, but they do good staying high and being ready for anything. A lot of times, there could be an inning where they don’t get a ball, and then the next, they get like five right at them. They do a good job of always staying in the game.”

YME’s (17-5) next game will be decided upon the results of the second-round game, along with the rest of the North’s Tuesday games that were not completed by the time of publication.

“I think we need to hit the ball,” Almich said regarding what the team needs to do continuing through the playoffs. “Hit the ball and put the ball into play. We do great on defense, so I think as long as we hit the ball, continue to move runners over and do that, we will be fine. Get on [base] for each other.”

BOX SCORE

BATTING

K. Peterson: 2-3, 2R, RBI; B. Nelson: 2-3, R, RBI; B. Sneller: 1-3, 2R; A. Almich: 1-3, R, RBI; E. Cherveny: 1-3, R; E. Keller: 1-2, R, RBI; C. Schmitz: 1-2, R, RBI, BB; C. Paslawski: 1-2, 2R, BB.

PITCHING

B. Sneller: 4 IP, 2 SO, H, BB; E. Keller: 1 IP, BB.