Willmar 10, Marshall 1

WILLMAR — A pair of strong offensive innings by Willmar were too much for the Marshall softball team to overcome in the first game of its non-conference doubleheader on Monday. The Cardinals surged ahead with a five-run third inning and padded their lead with three more in the sixth en route to a 10-1 win over the Tigers.

Marshall got off to a strong start when Jenniger Lee drew a leadoff walk, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a Taylor Frana sacrifice fly.

The Tiger lead was short-lived, however. The Cardinals stranded Tigers on second and third to end the top of the first, and Willmar got a tying run on an RBI double in the bottom of the frame.

Two innings later, Willmar loaded the bases to start the third and scored the go-ahead run on a failed fielder’s choice. A wild pitch scored another run before a walk reloaded the bases, and a two-run single and an RBI on a fielder’s choice brought the Cardinals’ lead to 6-1.

Sara Dallmann, Kinsley Bitker, Bailynn Parsons, Jaylah Morgan and Haylee Kirchner each accounted for one of Marshall’s six hits. Kirchner and Lee were each also hit by a pitch, making them the lone Tigers to reach base safely twice in the game.

Alissa Moen was charged with the loss after giving up six earned runs on five hits and three walks over three innings of work.

Dallmann pitched the remaining three innings, surrendering four earned runs on six hits and a walk.

Willmar added one more run in the fifth and three more in the sixth to put the finishing touches on the win.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

J. Lee: 0-2, BB, HBP, R, SB, SO; T. Frana: 0-3, RBI, SO; S. Dallmann: 1-4, SO; K. Bitker: 1-4, SO; B. Parsons: 1-3, SB; A. Moen: 0-2, BB; J. Morgan: 1-3, SO; H. Kirchner: 1-2, HBP, SO.

PITCHING

A. Moen: L, 3 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, SO; S. Dallmann: 3 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, BB, 2 SO.

Marshall 8, Willmar 4

WILLMAR — Sara Dallmann logged three hits and an RBI for the Marshall softball team in the second game of its non-conference doubleheader against Willmar on Monday. The win marked the Tigers’ third win in their last four games.

The Tigers trailed 3-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth when Haylee Kirchner doubled and Brynlee Dieken reached on a dropped third strike, putting the tying run on base. A passed ball pushed across one run and Dieken beat the throw home on a Jennifer Lee grounder to tie up the game.

Back-to-back walks to Taylor Frana and Sara Dallmann loaded the bases with no outs, and a passed ball allowed Lee to score the go-ahead run. Parsons then singled home Frana, and after Dallmann was tagged out at the plate on the next at-bat, Jaylah Morgan singled home Parsons for a 6-3 Marshall edge.

Dallmann threw all seven innings of the win, limiting the Cardinals to a pair of earned runs on 10 hits and three walks with seven strikeouts.

Willmar scored the game’s first run with an RBI single in the top of the fourth, but Dallmann singled before scoring on a Moen ground out in the bottom of the frame to tie the game right back up. Still, Willmar went back ahead with another pair of runs in the top of the fifth before the Tiger rally in the bottom of the frame.

In addition to Dallman’s two singles, a double and a walk, Parsons also contributed heavily at the plate with two singles while Kirchner logged a double and a walk.

Lee walked in the sixth and scored on a two-out double by Dallmann, and Bitker singled home Dallmann for one more insurance run.

Willmar scored on an error with two outs in the seventh, but a ground out ended the Cardinals’ comeback attempt with the tying run on deck.

Marshall improves to 5-10 and next goes on the road to take on St. Peter on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

BATTING

J. Lee: 0-3, BB, RBI, 2 R, SB, 2 SO; T. Frana: 0-3, BB, R, SO; S. Dallmann: 3-3 (2B), BB, RBI, 2 R; K. Bitker: 1-3, BB, RBI, 2 SO; B. Parsons: 2-4, RBI, R; A. Moen: 0-4, RBI; J. Morgan: 1-3, RBI; H. Kirchner: 1-2 (2B), BB, R, SB; B. Dieken: 0-3, R, SB, 2 SO.

PITCHING

S. Dallmann: W, 7 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO.