The Red Lake Falls Eagle Softball team defeated the Sacred Heart Eagles 4-2 to stay alive in the Section 8A tournament, but fell 7-6 to the East Polk North Stars in 9 innings, eliminating them from the tournament
GAME 1
FIRST INNING-
Layna Schindler led things off with a walk for RLF. After a groundout, Kylie Klipping was hit by a pitch. After a strikeout, Grace Knutson was also hit by a pitch to load the bases. However, those runners would be left stranded as a strikeout ended the inning.
Sacred Heart would go down in order in the bottom of the 1st on three groundouts.
SECOND INNING-
RLF got a two-out walk from Rowan Kennett in the 2nd, but two groundouts and a popout would strand her at first to end the inning.
In the home half of the inning, Sophie Modeen got things started with a single. After her courtesy runner, Jensen Stinar, stole second base, Izzy Cwikla ripped an RBI double to right center field to give Sacred Heart a 2-1 lead. Lexi Lawrence would then get hit by a pitch, and an error would load the bases, but two consecutive popouts would end the inning, keeping it 1-0 Sacred Heart through 2.
THIRD INNING –
RLF looked to push again in the top of the 3rd. After a leadoff groundout, Klipping singled and Kayla Schafer doubled, putting two in scoring position with one away. Knutson was next, and she flew out to right field, and a great throw by Meagan Weiss gunned down Klipping at home, ending the inning on a 9-2 double play and keeping RLF scoreless.
A Lexi Mueller single and Jillian Pulkrabek walk put two on and no one out in the home half of the inning for Sacred Heart. Klipping, however, would lock in from the circle, recording back-to-back strikeouts and a force play to end the inning, keeping the score 1-0.
FOURTH INNING-
RLF was retired in order in the top of the 4th on two strikeouts and a groundout.
Sacred Heart got a 2-out single from Leah Sundby in the home half of the 4th inning, but a strikeout, groundout and flyout quickly ended the inning.
FIFTH INNING
RLF looked to get some more offense going, and it started with back-to-back singles from Rowan Kennett and Layna Schindler. Nelson was up next, and she clobbered a 3-run home run, giving the Eagles a 3-1 lead. A groundout and two strikeouts ended the inning quickly after that.
After a leadoff groundout, Pulkrabek worked a walk to get a runner on. After a fielder’s choice, Bella Effhauser singled to put two on. However, Klipping induced a groundout to end the inning.
SIXTH INNING
RLF looked to add more in the sixth, starting with a one-out single by Miley Cota. After a flyout, Kennett got her second hit of the game with a single to left, but both runners would be left stranded as a groundout ended the inning.
In the home half, a leadoff single by Lexi Lawrence followed bv an error put two on with nobody out. After one groundout moved the runners to second and third, another groundout by Weiss brought in a run, cutting the lead to 3-2. However, a third groundout would end the inning, stranding the two runners.
SEVENTH INNING
The seventh inning started with a three-base error, putting Shandi Nelson at third. She would then score on a wild pitch to make it 4-2 RLF. Then, back-to-back singles by Schafer and Knutson put two on with one away, but consecutive groundouts would end the inning, keeping the score at 4-2.
Sacred Heart went down in order in the home half of the seventh on a groundout and two strikeouts, giving Red Lake Falls a 4-2 win, ending Sacred Heart’s season.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
| RLF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| SH | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
OFFENSIVE LEADERS –
Red Lake Falls-
Shandi Nelson – 1 for 4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
Kayla Schafer – 2 for 4, 2B
Rowan Kennett – 2 for 2, BB, R
Sacred Heart-
Izzy Cwikla – 1 for 3, 2B, RBI
Lexi Lawrence – 1 for 2, BB, R
Leah Sundby – 1 for 3,
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB/HBP | K |
| Kylie Klipping – RLF | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Jillian Pulkrabek – SH | 7.0 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
GAME 2 – vs East Polk
FIRST INNING-
To start game 2, Red Lake Falls got a leadoff walk from Shandi Nelson, but a groundout and two strikeouts quickly ended the inning.
East Polk got off to a fantastic start in the home half of the first inning. Lexi Mahlen got things started with a one-out single, and a fielder’s choice then put two on for Madison Bailie, who delivered an RBI single to make it 1-0 North Stars. Then, after a groundout, a two-base error scored two, making it 3-0 East Polk. A strikeout would then end the inning.
SECOND INNING-
RLF would be retired in order in the top of the 2nd inning on two groundouts and a strikeout.
East Polk would also be retired in order in the 2nd, on a popout, flyout and strikeout.
THIRD INNING-
After two quick outs started the 3rd inning for the Eagles, they embraced the two-out rally. Nelson and Schindler each walked, and then a two-base error brought a run in, cutting the lead to 3-1. Then, Layna Schindler brought in 2 with a single, tying the game at 3. A strikeout would end the inning.
The North Stars looked to get the lead back, and the inning started with a fielding error to put a runner. After second base was stolen, Paige Breitbach drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single, making it 4-3. Bailie was up next, and she crushed a ball over the left field fence, making it 6-3 North Stars. The NorthStars would get one more baserunner with a two-out walk, but the inning would end quietly with a 6-3 east Polk advantage.
FOURTH INNING-
In the 4th, Miley Cota led off with a single to center field. Then, after two outs, Cota advanced to second on a ball in the dirt, and another two-base error brought in the run, cutting the lead to 6-4. A flyout would then end the inning.
East Polk got a two-out walk from Mahlen, but a strikeout and two groundouts would end the inning quickly for the North Stars.
FIFTH INNING-
After two quick outs, Knutson doubled for the Eagles to get a runner in scoring position in the 5th inning. However, she would be stranded there, as a groundout to third would end the inning.
Alyssa Anderson got a one-out single in the bottom of the 5th for the North stars, but was subsequently caught stealing. Klipping would then record two strikeouts to face the minimum in the 5th inning.
SIXTH INNING-
RLF went down in order in the top of the sixth inning on two groundouts and a strikeout.
It only took 5 pitches for Klipping to get a 1-2-3 inning, as she induced two groundouts and a flyout to keep the game at 6-4 headed to the 7th.
SEVENTH INNING-
The Eagles needed two runs in the 7th to stay alive. A leadoff walk by Nelson and a double by Schindler put runners at second and third with no one out. Klipping would hit a sac fly to cut the lead to 6-5, but with the tying run at third, Schafer popped out for the second out. Down to their last strike, Knutson singled into center field, tying the game at 6. Then, back-to-back walks by Breiland and Cota loaded the bases for Hannah Robison, but in an 11-pitch at-bat, she struck out, ending the inning with the bases loaded and the game tied.
After two popouts to Nelson at shortstop, Breitbach doubled to put the winning run at second. Coach Ben Hanson chose to put Bailie on to face Alyssa Anderson, and she grounded out to third to end the inning, keeping the game tied into extras.
EIGHTH INNING-
After a strikeout started the eighth inning, Nelson reached base for the fifth time in the game with a single to center field. She then stole second, and moved to third on a groundout, but with two away, a groundout to third stranded her there, ending the eighth inning.
East Polk went down in order in the home half of the eighth on a strikeout and two groundouts.
NINTH INNING-
The Eagles got a two-out single from Breiland, and she did steal second, but a flyball hit by Cota just barely fell short of a home run in right field, and the Eagles came up empty in the 9th inning.
After a strikeout started the ninth inning for the North Stars, Clara Kolden walked to put the winning run on. Mahlen then laid down a sacrifice bunt, and after she was thrown out, Kolden took off for third. The throw airmailed the third baseman, and Kolden scored on a walkoff error to win the game 7-6, ending the season for Red Lake Falls.
Red Lake Falls’s season comes to an end with a 20-6 record and 3rd place tournament finish.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| RLF | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 3 |
| East Polk | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 2 |
OFFENSIVE LEADERS –
Red Lake Falls-
Grace Knutson – 3 for 5, 2B, RBI
Shandi Nelson – 1 for 2, 3 BB, 2 SB, 2 R
Miley Cota – 1 for 4, SB
East Polk –
Madison Bailie – 2 for 3, HR, 3 RBI, BB
Paige Breitbach – 2 for 4, 2B, R
Alyssa Anderson – 1 for 4
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB/HBP | K |
| Kylie Klipping – RLF | 8.2 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
| Lexi Mahlen – EP | 9.0 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
