BENSON -- Paynesville knocked one West Central South Conference title contender down the list by beating Benson/Hancock 8-1 Monday.
The Bulldogs (11-1, 13-2) are now tied with Minnewaska (11-1, 14-2) for the top spot in the conference. Benson/Hancock falls to third with a 9-2 league record, 10-3 overall.
The game, which had been postponed twice before, was played in light rain. Benson/Hancock coach Ken Grunig said both teams wanted to get the game in and avoid anymore delays.
Paynesville's Whitney Woehler pitched a three-hitter, keeping Benson/Hancock off the bases with 11 strikeouts and just one walk.
But the Bulldogs' bats didn't get going until the fifth. Kayla Lieser's single drove in a run to give Paynesville a 2-0 lead, then Woehler doubled the advantage with a two-run single.
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Benson/Hancock got on the scoreboard in the sixth thanks to Kendra Schmidgall's single with nobody out.
Kenzie Meagher hit a bases-loaded single to score a run in the seventh and Shelby Goltz followed with a two-run double in Paynesville's four-run inning.
Woehler, Keely Meagher, Kenzie Meagher and Goltz had two hits each.
Taylor Semler took the loss for Benson/Hancock, allowing 11 hits, walking four and striking out three.
Paynesville 8, Benson/Hancock 1
P'ville (11-1, 13-2) 010 030 4 -- 8 11 2
Ben/Han (9-2, 10-3) 000 001 0 -- 1 3 4
HITTING - Paynesville: Whitney Woehler 2-for-4, 2 rbi; Keely Meagher 2-for-3, 2 runs; Kenzie Meagher 2-for-4, rbi; Shelby Goltz 2-for-4, 2b, 2 rbi; Kayla Lieser 1-for-4, rbi; Jessica Solum 1-for-4; Caitlyn Gottwald 1-for-4 ... Benson/Hancock: Megan Jepma 1-for-3; Datrianna Jensen 1-for-3; Kendra Schmidgall 1-for-3, rbi
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PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) -- Paynesville: Whitney Woehler (W) 7-3-1-1-1-11 ... Benson/Hancock: Taylor Semler (L) 7-11-8-7-4-3
Morris 10, ACGC 0
Mackenzie Weatherly threw the first no-hitter of her varsity career and had a hand in 14 of the 15 outs for Morris.
Weatherly struck out nine ACGC batters, assisted on two outs and had three putouts in the field.
The Tigers blew the game open in the third with five runs. Holly Amundson hit a bases-loaded single to score two of those runs.
In the fourth, Mary Rentz's triple drove in one of the two runs.
Morris' game against Yellow Medicine East, which was scheduled to be played right after the ACGC game, was postponed with a date to be determined.
ACGC (1-11, 3-12) 000 00 -- 0 0 2
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Morris (6-4, 9-5) 035 2x -- 10 6 2
HITTING - Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City: no hits ... Morris: Katie Holzheimer 1-for-3; Dani Schultz 1-for-2, 2b; Mary Rentz 2-for-3, 2b, 3b, rbi; Hannah Sayles 1-for-2; Holly Amundson 1-for-2, 2 rbi
PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) -- Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City: Miranda Hopp (L) 4-6-10-4-6-6 ... Morris: Mackenzie Weatherly 5-0-0-0-2-9
Tomahawk
Minnesota Valley Lutheran was leading Buffalo Lake-Hector 3-1 in the bottom of the first inning when rain suspended play.
The game will start again on Friday at 5 p.m. in Hector.
