“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.

Bayli Sneller again had two strong performances in the pitching circle to help lead the Sting. She finished the day with a total of 11 strikeouts, nine of which came in game 2.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Yellow Medicine East's Emma Keller safely slides into home to score a run against MACCRAY in the Section 3A North Tournament second round on Tuesday in Granite Falls.

Along with celebrating the two wins, the team also showered Sneller with some additional love and cupcakes for her birthday.

“It [the wins] feel really good. I think together as a team, we get along really well, and we all just know that we have each other’s backs,” Sneller said.

YME had a handful of offensive highlights on the day. Brianna Nelson had five hits between the two games, while Almich had a double in each. Emma Keller had a big performance in the second game, going 2 for 4 with three runs, one triple and a double.

Sneller pitched a one-hitter shutout in game 1 through her four innings in the circle, with a pair of strikeouts and one walk. 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.

Sneller then tossed nine strikeouts in the following matchup, allowing two walks and six hits in her complete game.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Yellow Medicine East's Ella Cherveny lays down a successful bunt against MACCRAY in the Section 3A North Tournament second round on Tuesday in Granite Falls.

The second game of YME’s saw a defensively competitive start through the first three innings, allowing just one run by the Sting in the second before they quickly turned things around in their favor with fourth and sixth-inning six-run rallies.

Facing a 7-0 deficit, the Wolverines put together a fight of their own and momentarily flustered YME defensively with five runs in the top of the sixth to cut the score down to three runs, 8-5.

Yet, the Sting didn’t waste any time in finding a response and quickly built back up its advantage to hang on for the win.

“Even if we go down, I feel like we are really good at picking each other back up,” Peterson said. “We’re like, ‘OK, next one, here we go.'”

Keller had a big RBI triple on a line drive to right field to run home Carley Redepenning to get the Sting momentum started back up. Redepenning was courtesy running for Sneller, as Sneller reached base on a MACCRAY error with an infield fly.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Yellow Medicine East third baseman Charlotte Paslawski throws to first for an out after fielding the ball against MACCRAY in the Section 3A North Tournament second round on Tuesday in Granite Falls.

Keller scored on an Almich single, while Cherveny followed behind off a Paslawski single as well. Cherveny had a successful bunt to reach base.

Paslawski accounted for the next run as Peterson stepped to the plate and hit a two-run RBI single on a fly ball to center field to send home both Chasity Schmitz and Leenerts to take back the 14-5 lead, ultimately becoming the final score. Schmitz and Leenerts each had base hits.

“We just needed to take a deep breath,” Sneller said regarding MACCRAY’s comeback attempt. “We say, ‘So what, now what?’ Like, so what that happened, what do we do next?”

Through the strong defensive start, the Wolverines and Sting each hit a double early in the game, with YME’s coming from Nelson in the bottom of the first. Yet, the two defenses cleaned up the rest of the frames.

But, YME still found a way to get on board with a run in the second inning as Keller scored off an Almich RBI double on her first pitch with a fly ball to left field.

Keller initially got on base with a leadoff double, also on a fly ball to left field right before Almich.

YME and MACCRAY traded outs over the next three half-innings before the Sting once again got their bats going in the bottom of the fourth.

“I would say experience-wise, everybody has played their spot for a few years,” Sneller said about the Sting’s defense. “I think everybody is gaining confidence in their spot.”

Kling scored the first run of the rally on a passed ball, as she was courtesy running for Sneller who hit a leadoff line-drive single. Keller scored shortly after with a successful Cherveny bunt.

Cherveny also got the second base on her bunt when MACCRAY attempted to throw Keller out at home, and Cherveny eventually got home on a passed ball.

Nelson hit a two-run RBI single to left field to run in both Paslawski and Schmitz, while a Sneller fly-ball double to center field, which the Wolverines dropped, allowed Leenerts enough time to score the final run of the inning for the 7-0 Sting lead. Paslawski, Schmitz and Leneerts all walked to reach base.

In the end after taking back its comfortable lead in the sixth, YME put an end to the night in MACCRAY’s final at-bat with a Leenerts’ jumping line-drive catch at shortstop, a Peterson foul-ball catch outside the third-base line and one final strikeout from Sneller.

The Wolverines defeated No. 5 Renville County West/Central Minnesota Christian 2-0 in the first round to face YME in the second. The Sting also defeated the Wolverines 13-0 in the regular season on April 30 in five innings on the road.

YME (19-5) will now head to Marshall’s softball complex to face second-seeded BOLD on Saturday at 11 a.m. The Warriors defeated Lac qui Parle Valley 13-0 and Benson 9-6 on Tuesday.

BOLD was one of the Sting’s five regular-season losses, as YME came up just short 4-2 on April 24.

“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.”

Kourtney Peterson also said it will be important for the team to remember playing at a high level, and controlling the factors they can.

For YME’s three seniors in Sneller, Ella Cherveny and Almich, Tuesday also marked the final time the trio played on their home field in Granite Falls, to which Sneller noted as a “bitter-sweet” feeling.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

K. Peterson: 1-5, 2RBI; B. Nelson: 3-5, 2RBI; B. Sneller: 2-5, 2R, RBI; E. Keller: 2-4, 3R, RBI; A. Almich: 2-3, R, 2RBI; E. Cherveny: 2-2, 2R, RBI; C. Paslawski: 1-3, 2R, 2RBI, BB; C. Schmitz: 1-2, 2R, 2BB, RBI; E. Leenerts: 1-3, 2R, BB.

PITCHING

B. Sneller: 7 IP, 9 SO, 6H, 4ER, 2BB.