sports

RED LAKE FALLS SOFTBALL DEFEATS ADA-BORUP/WEST

April 26, 2021

The Red Lake Falls Eagles softball team used a big second inning to grab the lead and they cruised the rest of the way as they beat the Ada-Borup/West Cougars 11-1 in six innings.

It was the Cougars who scored the first run of the game. They jumped out to the early lead thanks to a couple of errors on the Eagles. The second batter of the game reached base on an error, and then the next hitter also reached on an error to put two runners in scoring position just three batters into the game. A wild pitch allowed both runners to advance, giving the Cougars a 1-0 lead. Then, a deep fly ball was caught by Greta Philipp, who made a great over-the-shoulder catch and turned it into a double play to end the inning.
The Eagles got a two-out walk and stolen base to get a runner in scoring position, but a hard-hit grounder ended the inning.

The Cougars recorded their first hit of the game in the second inning, but that is all they would get.
In the bottom of the inning, the Eagles got their bats going. Gretchen Cota led off with a single and was sacrificed to third on a bunt. “Alexis [Cota] put a nice bunt down, and sometimes when you do that, you get people running around, and it snowballs,” said Eagles Head Coach Ben Hanson. A wild pitch scored Cota to tie the game. Mikayla Wiskow followed with an RBI single. Jayden Breiland followed with an RBI single for a 3-1 lead. “This was Jayden’s second Varsity game, and Mikayla has been back-and-forth this year, and it looks like both want to stay [on Varsity],” said Coach Hanson.
Two batters later, with two runners on, Shelby Breiland added a single that scored two more runs. Philipp followed with a double to score Amiot and give the Eagles a 6-1 lead after two innings of play. “We were able to put some hits together and got some momentum,” Hanson added.

Amiot continued her dominance in the circle after the first inning with the unearned run, and she did not allow a run the rest of the way. In the third inning, she got a 1-2-3 inning, including two strikeouts.
The Eagles got two more runners on in the bottom of the inning with two outs, but a flyball left them stranded, and the game stayed at 6-1.

The Cougars were able to get the first two batters on in the fourth with a double and single, but Shelby Breiland used a bullet throw to second to catch a Cougar baserunner trying to steal second base, and Amiot followed that with a looking strikeout and a foul out to end the threat.
Shelby Breiland led off the bottom of the inning with a bullet down the left-field line for a triple and scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-1.

Another Eagles error allowed another baserunner for the Cougars, but Amiot continued to throw strikes and got out of the inning unharmed.
Red Lake Falls struck again in the fifth inning. The first three batters reached on back-to-back singles and a hit by a pitch to load the bases. After a fielder’s choice, Shelby Breiland came through with another big hit, a bases-clearing double to give the Eagles a 10-1 lead heading into the sixth inning. “Shelby is probably the most feared hitters in the whole area,” said Coach Hanson. “When she’s locked in and doing her thing, she is tough.”

Ada-Borup/West scored two more runners in the sixth inning on a hit by a pitch and single, but Amiot retired the Cougars with three swinging strikeouts to keep the Cougars at bay. “Bella and Shelby are working really well together,” said Coach Hanson. “They have a couple of years of experience at this level, so they know where to go with pitches.”
The Eagles needed just one run to end the game. Their first two hitters were retired. Then, Hallie Harmoning tripled to right-center field, and Alexis Swendra, doubled to score Harmoning and give Red Lake Falls the 11-1 victory.

Red Lake Falls improves to 5-2 to start the year and are 4-0 at home. They will host Badger-Greenbush-Middle River on Tuesday and will travel to Sacred Heart on Thursday.
Ada-Borup/West falls to 2-1 this season. They will host Lake Park-Audubon in a doubleheader on Thursday.