Section 3A-North softball: KMS is still fighting after two wins

MURDOCK — From beginning to end, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg was on edge in the opening day of the Section 3A-North softball playoffs. But, the Fighting Saints were able to persevere and go 2-0 on the day.

In Game 1 Tuesday of a three-game set at KMS Elementary School, the second-seeded Fighting Saints came back from a 5-0 deficit to beat No. 7 Dawson-Boyd, 8-6. Then in its next game, KMS held on for a 4-3 victory against No. 3 Yellow Medicine East.

KMS takes on Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Marshall Softball Complex. The Flying Dutchmen are the No. 1 seed in the South sub-section. The winner will play again at 3 p.m. The loser plays at 5 p.m. in the elimination bracket.

In the opener, the Blackjacks struck quickly with four hits through the first five batters. Taylen Jorgenson hit a two-run double. Three more runs came in on defensive miscues. KMS starter Grace Collins was pulled after getting just one out.

In her place came Maddy Anderson, who managed to slow down D-B’s offense. Anderson had five strikeouts over 6-2/3 innings.

KMS started chipping away at the five-run deficit. In the first, Shakira Olson scored on a Katlyn Peters grounder. Then in the second, the Fighting Saints scored four runs off an Anderson double, a Collins single, a bunt by Karli Jensen and a sacrifice fly by Olson. KMS pulled away with a three-run fourth inning, with Olson hitting an RBI double and Olivia Noble scoring on a wild pitch.

Olson and Jensen, the Nos. 1 and 9 hitters, respectively, were both 2-for-2 for KMS.

Allison Estling and Alivia Haas were both 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base for Dawson-Boyd. Madayn Wente was hit with the loss after throwing 3-1/3 innings.

The Blackjacks conclude the season with a 3-16 record.

Dawson-Boyd    500   001   0-6   7   2
KMS                    140   300   x-8   6   2
Hitting - Dawson-Boyd: Allison Estling 2-4 r sb, Alivia Haas 2-4 r sb, Madalyn Wente 1-4, Taylen Jorgenson 1-4 2b r rbi-2, Katherine Dahl 1-4 r sb, Matti Gruwell 0-1 r, Natyah Ritter 0-2 r sb-2, Madison Peterson 0-3 rbi … KMS: Shakira Olson 2-2 2b r-2 rbi-2 sb, Maddy Anderson  1-2 2b r rbi, Grace Collins 1-2 r rbi sb, Karli Jensen 2-2 3b r rbi, Katlyn Peters 0-3 rbi, Olivia Noble 0-0 r, Emily Wagner 0-1 r sb-2, Elsa Gjerde 0-2 r
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) - Dawson-Boyd: Haas 2.2-3-5-5-4-1, Wente (L) 3.1-3-3-1-1-3 … KMS: Collins 0.1-4-5-2-1-0, Anderson (W) 6.2-3-1-1-2-5

Yellow Medicine East capitalized on a Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa error to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Those two runs held as the third-seeded Sting advanced past the sixth-seeded Jaguars in Murdock.

YME got the win despite getting one hit in the contest, an Abbie Winter single to lead off the bottom of the second. Helping to slow BBE down was Sting starting pitcher Jenna Weir. She got the complete-game victory with four strikeouts with six hits and two walks allowed.

Kylie Winter finished 2-for-2 with two walks for the Jaguars. Faith Radermacher also had two hits, going 2-for-4. BBE’s only run came on a YME error that allowed Bree Radermacher to score.

The Jaguars wrap up the season at 3-18.

BBE      000   010   0-1   6   1
YME      200   000   x-2   1   2
Hitting - BBE: Kylie Winter 2-2 bb-2, Faith Radermacher 2-4, Anna Jaeger 1-4, Bree Radermacher 1-3 r … YME: Abbie Winter 1-2, Hope Stark 0-2 r bb sb-2, Hannah Stark 0-2 r bb sb
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) - BBE: F. Radermacher (W) 6-1-2-0-4-8 … YME: Jenna Weir (L) 7-6-1-0-2-4

Despite getting outhit 10-4, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg was able to advance with a one-run victory over Yellow Medicine East.

The Sting got on the scoreboard first with two runs in the top of the first. Yansi Flores scored after stealing home, and Hope Stark scored on an error.

The Fighting Saints scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to go ahead 3-1. Shakira Olson had an RBI single that brought home Elsa Gjerde. Then with two outs, Katlyn Peters got a ground ball through the infield to score Karli Jensen and Olson. KMS added another run in the sixth when Jensen scored on a passed ball.

YME got a run in the top of the seventh when Area Peters scored on a Hope Stark groundout that also put Flores at third with one out.

But KMS held firm. On a wild pitch, Flores took off for home but was tagged out. A groundout to first ended the hopes of a Sting comeback.

Peters was 1-for-4 with a pair of RBIs for the Fighting Saints. Jensen was 1-for-2 with two runs and two stolen bases. Anderson got her second win of the day, striking out 10 in a complete-game effort.

“She came out with some big outs in the second game especially,” said KMS head coach Eileen Suter. “She did amazing. It tied a season high (in strikeouts) for her. For being a sophomore, that's a lot on your shoulders. Karli (Jensen), behind the plate, did a good job, too.”

Flores was 3-for-4 with two doubles for the Sting. Peters and Hannah Stark each added two hits. Sneller was charged with the loss after striking out six over six innings.

YME faces Tracy-Milroy-Balaton in the elimination bracket at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Marshall Softball Complex.

YME     200   000   1-3   10   3
KMS     000   301   x-4   4   2
Hitting - YME: Aria Peters 2-4 r, Yansi Flores 3-4 2b-2 r sb, Hope Stark 1-3 r rbi bb sb-2, Hannah Stark 2-3 rbi bb, Bayli Sneller 1-4, Ella Cherveny 1-3 sb … KMS: Shakira Olson 1-4 r rbi sb, Katlyn Peters 1-4 rbi-2, Emily Wagner 1-4 sb-2, Karli Jensen 1-2 r-2 bb sb-2, Elsa Gjerde 0-1 r bb-2
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) - YME: Sneller (L) 6-4-4-3-6-6 … KMS: Maddy Anderson (W) 7-10-3-2-3-10

Lac qui Parle Valley, the top seed in the North sub-section, advanced out of the first round by beating eighth-seeded Ortonville in Madison.

In the second game in Madison, fifth-seeded Benson came away with the win over fourth-seeded MACCRAY.

The Wolverines end the season at 6-12.

Lac qui Parle Valley remains in the winners’ bracket after hanging on to a one-run victory against Benson in the final game in Madison.

LQPV faces Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in the next round at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Marshall Softball Complex. R-T-R is the No. 2 seed in the South sub-section.

Benson falls to the elimination bracket and will play Wabasso at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Marshall Softball Complex.