MARSHALL — The Lakeview softball team’s season came to an end on Saturday after the program reached new heights in the Section 3A tournament. The South’s fifth-seeded Lakers picked up a 5-0 win over No. 6N Benson in its first elimination bracket game of the day, marking the first time the program won multiple postseason games in a single year, but they fell to No. 2S BOLD 11-0 to end their season in the next game.

“It’s been so fun, I was on the original team that made it part the first round like five years ago, so it’s really fun to see us grow throughout the season and see what we can really accomplish,” Lakeview senior Teegan Fiene said. “We take so much pride in ourselves and our team, and we’re so proud that we were even able to make it today. We’re proud of everything we’ve done, and every small thing just leads to bigger things. We couldn’t be prouder of ourselves.”

Saturday’s game marked the first time since 2021 that the Lakers played past the first round of the tournament. Lakeview defeated Adrian/Ellsworth 9-7 in the opening round before falling to the elimination bracket with an 11-1 loss to Wabasso in the second round.

“The wins last week to get us into this position felt awesome,” Lakeview head coach Linnea Stibbe said, adding that her team didn’t know what to expect with Benson because it’s not a team Lakeview plays often. “We just said to come prepared, come out strong offensively, defensively, and be there for each other … They did that, they came in and it felt good to get another win in the postseason for us.”

Lakeview finishes its season with a 12-11 record, marking its first campaign to end at .500 or better since it went 10-10 in 2017.

In addition to Fiene, the Lakers also graduate Kiara Hinz and Paige Walker.

“(Kiera and Teegan are) going to leave a huge hole in the infield. They’re solid on the field, both solid at bat, Kiera’s one of our better slappers and one of our better base runners, and Teegan was at the bottom of our lineup for good reason because she set up the top of our lineup really, really well,” Stibbe said. “They both have an attitude of going to get it. And Paige, she’s been battling surgeries and injuries for the past couple of seasons, but she shows up every single day, and it’s a culture thing. She’s there in our dugout, she’s loud and she’s supporting her teammates however we ask her to, on the field, off the field, in the dugout. We’re going to miss those girls.”

Freshman Makenna Anderson had a no-hitter going through the first six innings of the Lakers’ win over Benson, also contributing a pair of singles at the plate, and Kendra Velde reached base three times with two RBIs to help set the stage for a Laker win over the Braves.

The Lakers were on the opposite side of things in their second game against BOLD. The Warriors, who were ranked eighth in all of Class A in the final coaches poll, held the Lakers hitless through the first 4 2/3 innings until Adison Hinz got on with a single. Still, the Lakeview bats weren’t able to rally as they fell 11-0.

GAME 1

Lakeview 5, Benson 0

Anderson struck out nine batters over the course of her near-no-hitter, limiting the Braves to just a leadoff single in the seventh and walking just one batter.

“McKenna’s been strong on the mound for us all season lone and she held up here in the postseason,” Stibbe said, adding that she felt her team was doing a good job of communicating and adjusting defensively as well.

Kiara Hinz scored the go-ahead run for Lakeview in the top of the third, doubling with one out and scoring on a wild pitch. Taylor Hinz also reached base on an error before scoring on a Velde single, and Velde made it a 3-0 lead when she went home after a Benson error trying to catch her advancing on a wild pitch.

Anderson added the Lakers’ offensive cushion in the sixth when she singled, advanced on an Addison Hinz sacrifice bunt and was awarded home when an errant Benson throw went out of play.

Taylor Hinz gave the Lakers their final run of the day when she hit a two-out single, stole second and went home on a single to deep center field by Velde, bringing the score to 5-0.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

K. Hinz: 1-4 (2B), R, 2 SB, SO; T. Hinz: 1-4, 2 R, SB, SO; K. Velde: 2-3, BB, 2 RBI, R, SB; K. Gawarecki: 0-2, BB, SO; M. Anderson: 2-3, R, SO.

PITCHING

M. Anderson: W, 7 IP, H, BB, 9 SO.

GAME 2

BOLD 11, Lakeview 0 (6 inn.)

Lakeview wasn’t able to carry the momentum from its first game of the day into its second. Adison Hinz accounted for the team’s lone hit, and its only other base runners came when Kiara and Taylor Hinz were hit by pitches.

“First game was a stronger offensive performance for us, we were able to string those hits back-to-back when we could get them to fall, but the second game was a little bit of a different story,” Stibbe said. “They were still battling up there, and they still had solid contact when we were there, it’s just making the little adjustments and we’ve got to come back and keep making those adjustments.”

Anderson held the Warriors off the scoreboard for the first two innings, but the BOLD backs roared back with four runs in the third inning and another five in the fourth. BOLD tacked on two more runs in the sixth to put the mercy rule into effect.

Anderson finished the game allowing six earned runs on nine hits and nine walks over six innings. She also struck out four batters.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

K. Hinz: 0-2, HBP, 2 SB; T. Hinz: 0-2, HBP, SB, SO; Ad. Hinz: 1-2.