84th Article at the Independent

PREP SOFTBALL: Minneota/Canby gets past YME in sweep

CHRIS DRUMMOND

cdrummond@marshallindependent.com

MINNEOTA — After seeing their doubleheader get delayed the day before, the Minneota/Canby and Yellow Medicine East softball teams resumed play on Wednesday. Minneota/Canby was able to hang on to its lead in Game 1 and earn a 3-2 victory before taking Game 2 10-5 to compete the sweep.

In Game 1, the Vikings were leading by three after a home run from Ava Larson, who was taken out of the game and didn’t play due to a rib injury sustained. The Sting came back to narrow the deficit to one but ultimately would lose 3-2 in game one of the doubleheader. Summer Hennen and Dakota Pesch for the Vikings led with three hits apiece in the victory. Yansi Flores and Atrinity Tipton for the Sting each led their team with two hits apiece in the loss.

In game two, both teams would have pitchers start that were in eighth grade in Madison Hennen for the Vikings and Bayli Sneller for the Sting. The Vikings jumped on the Sting, getting a four-run lead after the top of the first inning and would improve that lead to six by the top of the fourth inning. Then the Sting would respond.

After a walk and a hit by pitch, the Sting would score four runs in the bottom of the fourth, closing the gap to two, 6-4. However, that would be as close as they would get. The Vikings would score the next four out of five runs and sweep the Sting by winning game two 10-5.

Hennen pitched a complete game surrendering four runs and striking out five in the victory. Her teammate Faith Myhre had three hits and also had three RBIs in the game two victory. Minneota/Canby head coach Heidi Boerboom spoke on team’s victories in the ballgames.

“In the first game the home run by Larson saved our butt actually because we couldn’t get the bats going,” Boerboom said. “In game two, we got a lead, but they came back on us, got their energy going and we were able to get the momentum back by telling them hey you can do this, hit the ball and play good defense.”

Boerboom added that the message to the team heading into sections is to get better every day, keep your confidence and they’re capable of incredible things when their bats get going.

For the Sting, Sneller also pitched a complete game while striking out 10. Sneller and Aria Peters would also lead their team in hits with two and Peters had two RBIs while Sneller drove in one. YME head coach Jen Sneller assessed the team’s play in both losses.

“You know this is the point of the season where you have to be playing clean ball and we’re not yet,” coach Sneller said. “You have to limit the number of errors, mental and physical ones.”

Coach Sneller added that her message to the team heading into sections is to play strong, confident and clean to get the wins.

Minneota/Canby finished their regular season as Yellow Medicine East will close out their regular season traveling to Montevideo to face Montevideo on Friday evening at 5 p.m.

Game 1

YME 000 002 0 – 2

M/C 003 000 x – 3

Hitting: Minneota/Canby (Summer Hennen 3-3; Myhre 2-3; Sanow 1-3; Larson 1-2, HR, 3 RBI; Pesch 3-3; Ann Cole 1-3; Arndt 1-3); YME (Flores 2-3; Hope Stark 1-3, RBI; Hannah Stark 1-3; Sneller 1-2, RBI; Almich 1-2, Weir 1-3, Tipton 2-3).

Pitching (IP-R-ER-H-BB-SO): Minneota/Canby (Larson 5.2-2-2-8-3-2; Madison Hennen 1.1-0-0-1-1-2); YME (Weir 6-3-3-12-1-8).

Game 2

M/C 400 203 1 – 10

YME 000 401 0 – 5

Hitting: Minneota/Canby (Summer Hennen 2-3, RBI; Myhre 3-4, 3 RBI; Sanow 1-3; Moorse 1-4, RBI; Pesch 2-3, RBI; Ann Cole 2-4, 2 RBI; Hulzebos 2-4; Bordewyk 2-4, RBI); YME (Peters 2-4, 2 RBI; Flores 1-3; Hope Stark 1-4; Hannah Stark 1-3, RBI; Sneller 2-4, RBI; Cisneros 1-3; Baker 1-1; Haar 1-2).

Pitching (IP-R-ER-H-BB-SO): Minneota/Canby (Madison Hennen 7-5-4-10-1-5); YME (Sneller 7-10-10-15-4-10).