sports

CROOKSTON SOFTBALL SHOWS MAJOR IMPROVEMENT, FALL TO EAST POLK

May 24, 2021

The Crookston Pirate Girl’s Fast Pitch Softball team played much better the third time around against East Polk, but they could not come from behind as they fell by a 5-2 score in a game played at Donnie Lauf/Crookston American Legion Softball Field in Crookston. “The first day of our season, we lost to them 28-2 and today 5-2. That’s a 23 run difference in just two months. It shows how much they have improved,” said the Pirates Head Coach Sunny Bowman.

East Polk got the scoring started in the top of the first inning with a run. Ava Howard led off with a double, and she came in to score on a groundout after a single moved her to third to give the North Stars a 1-0 lead.
The Pirates were able to answer right back with a run in the bottom half. Kenze Epema hit a one-out single to get things started. After two outs, Jenna Coauette hit a double that hit the fence on a fly that scored Epema all the way from first to tie the game. Without a strong wind blowing straight in from right field, Jenna would have hit it over the fence. “We had a couple of great hits from Kenze and Jenna. Unfortunately, we didn’t have everyone hitting well like we have the past few games,” said Coach Bowman.

East Polk took back the lead in the second with three runs. A hit-by-pitch and a sac bunt scored a run when the throw to first went into right field. A single from Olivia Rosendahl scored the second run of the inning. After another hit batter, an error on another throw to first base allowed the third run to score before a runner was thrown out at third to end the inning.
The Pirates did get one of those runs back in the bottom of the second. Emma Boll walked to lead off the inning. A second walk and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with one out, and Emma came in to score on a wild pitch. Addie Fee walked to re-load the bases, but the Pirates could not get another run across, and the score was 4-2 after two innings.

Both teams settled in after the second inning. Thanks to some great defense and pitching, neither team could score in the third through sixth innings.
For the Pirates, Jenna Coauette was solid on the mound once again as she tallied 8 strikeouts. “Jenna and Danielle (Kresl) both did some pitching stuff yesterday, and Jenna was really working the change-up,” said Coach Bowman. “She was really on yesterday, and today she used it, and it worked!” She got out of some tough situations as well, including a runner at third with one out and two runners on with one out. She was helped by some strong defense from Reese Swanson at the third base. “She is very much a perfectionist, so I like having her over there,” explained Coach Bowman. “She’s fast, she reacts very quickly, and she has a great arm to get it over to first.”
The Pirates bats could not get the big hit they needed to make a comeback. In the second and fifth innings, they left the bases loaded, but great pitching from Olivia Rosendahl in relief made it tough on the Pirate offense. “We made contact with a couple of balls that went to the outfield, and it just happened to be where the defense was,” added Coach Bowman. “We had a lot of great at-bats where the girls fought off that third strike, and that led to some walks.”

The North Stars were able to add an insurance run in the seventh inning. A couple of walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with one out. Coauette got a fielder’s choice to prevent the run initially, but a hard-hit infield single scored a run before Coauette got a strikeout to end the inning.
The Pirates needed at least three runs in their half of the inning, but they were retired in order as East Polk walked away with a 5-2 victory. “This game just shows how much they’ve mentally gotten better and how much defensively they’ve improved to hold them to 23 runs less,” explained Coach Bowman. “I could ask for more in terms of a win, but I am totally content and totally proud of what they did today.”

The Pirates fall to 4-14 on the season and will travel to Sacred Heart on Tuesday in a game that can be heard on KROX.
East Polk improves to 12-4 this year and will travel to Red Lake County on Thursday.