The #6 ranked Park Rapids Panthers Softball team’s Riley Michaelson threw a perfect game to beat the Crookston Pirates in a 21-0 victory in Section 8AA game played in Park Rapids. The 21-0 victory was the second time in a little over a week that Park Rapids beat Crookston by a 21-0 score.
In the top of the first inning, Crookston was retired in 1-2-3 fashion. Park Rapids started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning when they scored 11 runs on six hits, a hit batter, two walks and error and the big hit being a grand slam for an 11-0 lead after the first inning. In the top of the second inning, all three Crookston batters struck out, and Park Rapids added eight more runs in the bottom of the inning behind a hit batter, four walks, three hits and a couple of errors for a 19-0 lead after two innings. “They’re good, we knew that coming in,” said Crookston head coach Robbe Nessler. “I told the girls that this team is probably expecting to roll over you and stomp you so let’s go in and show them that they can’t do that. Obviously, the result indicates that we allowed that to happen, but they’re just a good team. You can’t really say much else. Just top to bottom every girl just crushed it. They hit gappers. We made a couple of errors. They had a home run.”
Crookston went down in order in the third inning, and Park Rapids responded with two more runs in the bottom of the inning while taking advantage of two errors and three hits for a 21-0 lead.
In the top of the fourth inning, Crookston was retired in order, and Park Rapids won the game 21-0 in four innings. “(Riley Michaelson) has no-hit us twice now,” noted Nessler. “We did not get a hit in their tournament when they beat us. She had no walks, no hit-by-pitches, she threw a perfect game now that I think about it. She’s very good and is sort of an intimidating figure. The girls look at her and know she throws hard and sort of shy away from it a little bit. We couldn’t find a way to get on base against her.” Nessler said his team is looking forward to what should be a more competitive game tomorrow against the Northern Freeze, “the girls are excited to play the Northern Freeze. Even though we had a tough loss tonight, I told them Park Rapids is very good, and we play a team tomorrow that we match-up much better with so keep your head’s up. We’re here to have fun at the end of the day, and I think all of the girls are still having fun.”
Crookston drops to 0-15 on the year and will travel to Newfolden on Tuesday to play the Northern Freeze. Crookston’s lone victory last season was against the Freeze.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | R | H | E | |
| CROOKSTON | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Park Rapids | 11 | 8 | 2 | – | 21 | 13 | 0 |
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Jenna Coauette – Crox | 1.1 | 10 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 1 |
| Jasmin Hanson – Crox | 1.2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Riley Michaelson – PR | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
For Crookston
No hits
For Park Rapids
Kylee Pachel – 3-3, 4 runs, 5 rbi’s, walk, grand slam, double
