WILLMAR -- Callie Nelsen twirled a one-hit shutout and Willmar's offense collected eight hits to earn a 6-0 win over St. Cloud Apollo in Central Lakes Conference softball action Thursday.
Nelsen kept the Eagles off balance, mixing her pitches well, and recorded 11 strikeouts and one walk. The only hit she gave up was a soft single to right field in the first inning.
"I thought she pitched very well. She threw 14 innings on Tuesday and the weather wasn't that good to loosen up in," said Willmar coach Guy Nelsen.
After the single, she retired 17 Apollo batters before issuing a walk.
The Cardinals' big inning came in the fourth. Andrea Brown and Laura Nielsen led off the inning with consecutive singles, and Shayla Swartz walked to set up Sarah Hulscher's two-run single to right. Nina Emery drove in two more with a single to center, which gave Willmar a 4-0 lead.
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"We got the key hit," Nelsen said. "That's such a big thing in softball or baseball. The bottom of our order really came through."
In the fifth, Brown knocked in Randiann Sather with a single and then scored on Allie Sweep's single and an Eagle error.
Sather and Brown led the Cardinals with two hits each.
Willmar 6, SC Apollo 0
SC Apollo (1-3, 2-5)..000 000 0 - 0 1 2
Willmar (3-2, 3-2)....000 402 x - 6 8 0
HITTING - St. Cloud Apollo: Doering 1-for-2 .... Willmar: Randiann Sather 2-for-3, 2 sb's; Andrea Brown 2-for-2, 2 runs, rbi; Laura Nielsen 1-for-3; Allie Sweep 1-for-3; Sarah Hulscher 1-for-2, 2 rbi; Nina Emery 1-for-2, 2 rbi
PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) - St. Cloud Apollo: K. Parsons 6-8-6-5-2-4 .... Willmar: Callie Nelsen 7-1-0-0-1-11
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NEXT -- Willmar: Monday, home vs. Sauk Rapids
