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MCC softball survives 30-24 slugfest vs. HLOF

MCC 30, HLOF 24

OKABENA — No lead was safe in the Murray County Central softball team’s Red Rock Conference matchup against Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda on Thursday. It was the Rebels’ bats that prevailed in the end, however, putting together two 10-run innings en route to a 30-24 win.

Ava Deacon scored the go-ahead run in the top of the first, drawing a leadoff walk, advancing to third on a Reese Wajer double and scoring on a passed ball.

MCC was shut down for the remainder of the frame, but the real fireworks started in the second. The Rebels surged ahead with 10 runs in the inning, coming off nine hits, three walks and three hit batters.

HLOF never took the lead, but they remained within striking distance throughout. The Coyotes scored three runs in the bottom of the frame and answered MCC’s five-run top-of-the-third with seven in the bottom of the frame.

Wajer led MCC offensively with four doubles, two walks and five RBIs. Kate Blankenship also drove in six runs on a triple, three singles and a walk while Deacon tallied four singles, a double and three walks.

MCC scored four fourth-inning runs but HLOF started to battle back from there. The Coyotes scored one run in the fourth and fifth, and scored five more in the sixth to cut the gap to 20-17. MCC scored another 10 runs in the top of the seventh, which proved to be necessary after HLOF’s rally in the bottom of the frame stalled out at seven runs.

Blankenship pitched all seven innings for the Rebels in the win, surrendering 16 earned runs on 23 hits and nine walks with six strikeouts.

MCC improves to 3-7 and looks to carry its offensive momentum into a matchup against Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in Lamberton

BOX SCORE

BATTING

A. Deacon: 5-5 (2B), 3 BB, 2 RBI, 6 R, SB; R. Wajer: 4-6 (4 2B), 2 BB, 5 RBI, 4 R; K. Blankenship: 4-5 (3B), BB, HBP, 6 RBI, 3 R, SB; C. Doeden: 2-3, 4 BB, 3 RBI, 2 R; K. Miller: 0-4, 3 HBP, RBI, 2 R, 2 SO; J. Hellewell: 4-6, HBP, 2 RBI, 4 R, 2 SB; H. Miller: 2-5, HBP, 2 RBI, R, SO; A. Dierks: 3-3, 3 BB, 2 RBI, 4 R, SB; D. Neilson: 3-4 (2B), BB, 5 RBI, 4 R; E. Ahlquist: 1-1, SB.

PITCHING

K. Blankenship: W, 7 IP, 23 H, 24 R, 16 ER, 9 BB, 6 SO.

TMB 10, LQPV 6

MADISON — Melaina Ankrum’s two-run homer put the finishing touches on the Tracy-Milroy-Balaton softball team’s Camden Conference win over Lac qui Parle Valley on Thursday. The Panthers and Eagles were tied heading into the final frame, but TMB strung together four runs to claim a 10-6 win.

With two outs in the top of the seventh, Avery Torgeson singled and Lexi Brey doubled her home for the go-ahead run. Braelynn Kirk came up with another RBI single to give TMB some insurance, and Ankrum hit a two-run homer to right field for a four-run cushion.

In the bottom of the frame, Gretchen Lanoue retired three of the four batters she faced to hold onto the win. She pitched the full seven innings, striking out five batters while surrendering three earned runs on 10 hits and a walk.

Ankrum finished the day with a home run, a double, two walks and three RBIs. Braelynn Kirk also contributed heavy offensively with a double and two singles, while Alli Dolan logged a double, a single and a walk.

TMB trailed by a run heading into the top of the fifth, but Piper Freeburg was hit by a pitch and scored the tying run on a Brey ground out.

TMB scored the game’s first runs in the top of the third. A Kirk single and an Ankrum walk put the go-ahead runs on base, and a Lanoue double, a Loftness ground out and a Bella Martinez single each pushed across a run.

LQPV responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame, but Braelynn Kick tripled before scoring on an Ankrum double in the fourth, and Dolan doubled home ANkrum in the fourth. Still, LQPV scored four runs in the fourth to take the lead.

TMB improves to 6-4 with the win and next goes on the road to take on MACCRAY on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

B. Kirk: 3-5 (3B), RBI, 3 R; M. Ankrum: 2-3 (HR, 2B), 2 BB, 3 RBI, 3 R, SO; A. Dolan: 2-4 (2B), BB, RBI; G. Lanoue: 1-4 (2B), RBI, R, SB; A. Loftness: 0-4, RBI; B. Martinez: 1-4, RBI, SB, SO; P. Freeburg: 0-2, BB, HBP, R; A. Torgeson: 1-4, R; L. Brey: 1-2 (2B), 2 RBI, R.

PITCHING

G. Lanoue: W, 7 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 3 ER, BB, 5 SO.

RTR 7, Adrian/Ellsworth 2

ADRIAN — Paisley Thooft logged a homer, two singles and a walk in the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton softball team’s matchup against Adrian/Ellsworth on Thursday, resulting in a 7-2 Red Rock Conference win for the Knights.

Leading 3-1 in the top of the sixth, Daryssa Cruz reached base on a single and Paisley Thooft sent them both home with a two-run homer over the centerfield wall. The Knights also tacked on another pair of runs in the frame when Jaida Fricke and Laken Baartman singled, and both scored on a line-drive double by Grace DeVries.

Fricke pitched all seven innings for RTR, striking out eight batters while limiting the Dragons to six hits and a walk.

RTR took the lead in the first and never looked back. Thooft hit a leadoff single, stole second and scored on a Baartman single, and Jenna Lovre drove in Baartman with another single.

Adrian/Ellsworth’s lone runs came in the fifth and seventh innings.

RTR improves to 6-6 and carries a three-game winning streak into its next matchup against Lac qui Parle Valley, Monday at 4:30 p.m. in Madison.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

P. Thooft: 3-4 (HR), BB, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB, SO; J. Fricke: 1-5, RBI, R, 2 SO; L. Baartman: 3-3, BB, RBI, 2 R; G. DeVries: 1-4, 2 RBI, SO; J. Lovre: 1-4, RBI, SB, 2 SO; K. Vanderplaats: 0-2, 2 BB, 2 SO; T. Thooft: 0-2, 2 BB, R, SO; D. Cruz: 1-4; M. Appel: 0-3, BB, 3 SO.

PITCHING

J. Fricke: W, 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 8 SO.

YME 13, MACCRAY 0

CLARA CITY — Emma Keller drove in five runs on a triple and two singles Thursday night, leading the Yellow Medicine East softball team past MACCRAY for a 13-0 Camden Conference win in five innings.

The Sting first took the lead in the top of the second. Alana Almich was hit by a pitch, and Ella Cherveny and Chasity Schmitz walked to load the bases. Emma Keller put the Sting on the board with a two-run single, Everra Leenerts drove in another pair of runs on a triple and then scored on a Kourtney Peterson ground out to bring the score to 5-0.

Bayli Sneller tossed a shutout for the Sting, striking out five batters and limiting MACCRAY to three hits.

Like the first, Almich was hit by a pitch and Cherveny and Schmitz singled to once again load the bases with no outs. Keller capitalized with a three-run triple and scored on a Leenerts ground out.

YME improves to 6-4 and next takes on Lakeview, Monday at 4:30 p.m. in Granite Falls.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

K. Peterson: 2-4, RBI; B. Nelson: 2-3 (2B), 2 RBI, R; B. Sneller: 1-3, BB, R, SO; A. Almich: 1-1 (2B), 2 HBP, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB; T. Balfany: 0-0, BB; E. Cherveny: 1-3, BB, 2 R, SB; C. Schmitz: 1-1, 2 BB, 2 R; E. Keller: 3-5 (3B), 5 RBI, 2 R; C. Paslawski: 0-2, BB, R, SO; E. Leenerts: 2-3 (3B), 3 RBI, 2 R.

PITCHING

B. Sneller: W, 5 IP, 3 H, 5 SO.

Minneota/Canby 13, RCW 1

DANUBE — Madison Hennen struck out 16 batters in a complete-game effort on Thursday, leading the Minneota/Canby softball team to a 13-1 win in the first game of its Camden Conference doubleheader against Renville County West.

Hennen limited the Jaguars to one unearned run on two hits and a walk over the game’s seven innings. She also logged a pair of singles at the plate.

The Vikings scored one run in each of the first four innings, with RCW’s lone run coming in the second. Their bats further heated up down the stretch with three runs in the fifth, two in the sixth and four in the seventh.

Joelle Otto led the Vikings at the plate with three RBIs on two hits and a walk. Minneota/Canby also got a double from Courtney Antony and Izabelle Hulzebos, and a triple from Allison Vanwatermeulen.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

E. Walker: 1-4, BB, 2 R, 2 SB, SO; J. Otto: 2-4, BB, 3 RBI, 3 R, SB; C. Antony: 1-5 (2B), RBI, 4 SO; J. Jerzak: 0-2, BB, R, 2 SB, 2 SO; A. Vanwatermeulen: 1-3 (3B), RBI; M. Bednarek: 1-4, RBI, R, SO; I. Hulzebos: 1-3 (2B), RBI, 2 SO; W. Swedzinski: 0-1, 2 R, 3 SB, SO; M. Hennen: 2-4, 2 SO; G. Buysse: 1-3, 2 SB; S. Hennen: 0-0, HBP, R; D. Kockelman: 2-4, RBI, 2 R, SO.

PITCHING

M. Hennen: W, 7 IP, 2 H, 4, BB, 16 SO.

Minneota/Canby 16, RCW 1 (4 inn.)

DANUBE — After pulling away late in the first game of its Thursday doubleheader against Renville County West, the Vikings carried the momentum right into the second game as they cruised to a 16-1 win in four innings.

Back-to-back singles by Emily Walker and Joelle Otto gave the Vikings the game’s first run on their second at-bat of the game. Courtney Antony also singled to put two runners on before an Allison Vanwatermeulen ground out and a passed ball each scored a run.

Mackenzie Bednarek reached on a dropped third strike before Hulzebos drove her in with a single and Hulzebos scored herself on a passed ball to bring the score to 5-0 after the first.

Otto pitched all four innings of the win, limiting RCW to one earned run on a pair of hits and a walk with three strikeouts. She also logged a pair of singles, a pair of steals and an RBI.

Minneota/Canby continued to pull away with five runs in the third, and answered RCW’s one run in the fourth with six in the bottom of the frame to seal the mercy rule.

Minneota/Canby improves to 13-3 with the win and next takes on Redwood Valley in a doubleheader on Friday at 4 p.m. The games were still ongoing at the time of print.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

E. Walker: 2-3, BB, RBI, 2 R, 3 SB; J. Otto: 2-3, RBI, R, 2 SB; K. Bouwman: 1-1, RBI; C. Antony: 1-2, BB, 2 R, 4 SB, SO; A. Vanwatermeulen: 0-1, BB, HBP, RBI, 2 R, 5 SB; M. Bednarek: 0-2, BB, R, SB, SO; I. Hulzebos: 2-2 (2B), BB, 2 RBI, 3 R, 4 SB; M. Hennen: 1-2, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB; G. Buysse: 0-2, BB, R, SB; D. Kockelman: 1-2, BB, R, 2 SB, SO.

PITCHING

J. Otto: W, 4 IP, 2 H, R, ER, BB, 3 SO.

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