After opening playoff win, softball team falls to Wildcats

After winning 9-4 over Montevideo in the first round of the Section 3AA Playoffs at home on Thursday, the Minneota-Canby softball team lost to New London-Spicer, 7-2 to fall into Saturday's losers bracket of the double elimination tournament.

New London Spicer 7, Minneota-Canby 2

Viking Coach Heidi Boerboom just didn't know what to expect from New London-Spicer.

"You know, with the crazy spring, I just haven't had a chance to watch them and see what they've got," said Boerboom.

The first time she saw them play was when they beat Benson, 4-2 to advance to the second game against Minneota-Canby.

The Vikings got tosee planty of pitcher Ashlyn Leindecker in the next seven innings. She tossed a two-hitter, giving up the two hits in the seventh inning, before securing the 7-2 win to keep New London-Spicer in the undefeated section of the bracket.

The fact Minneota had lost it's other starting senior pitcher Brooklyn Nelson due to a broken leg in a previous game, meant Sydney Larson had to pitch the 14-straight innings on Thursday. And the fact is, she got tired.

"We miss Brooklyn because she gave us a lot more options," said Coach Boerboom.

NLS scored twice in the third behind a M-C error and key hit by Brianna Deming. But the Vikings came right back and tied it 2-2, using two walks, an error, an infield out ad a sacrifice fly by Emily Pohlen. The two runs scored without the benefit of a hit and it was 2-2.

But the Wildcats broke it open in the sixth when they scored six runs off Larson by banging out back-to-back doubles by Katelyn Nordmeyer and Ava Kraemer, a single by Presley Arndt-Callenius, a another double By Leindecker and a single by Ari Linquist. When the dust cleared and Larson finally got out of the inning, it was 6-2 New London-Spicer.

Nordmeyer banged a long home run to left-center field in the seventh for an insurance run and the Wildcats coasted to a 7-2 win.

MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Abby Hennen, c 4 0 0 0; Kaylee Johnson 3 0 1 1; Emily Pohlen 2 0 1 1; Sydney Larson. p 3 0 0 0; Madison Sorenson, 3b 3 0 0 0; Abby Rangaard, lf 3 0 0 0; Audra Buysse, 2b 2 0 0 0; Katie Konold, 1b 2 1 0 0; Lexi Sanow, rf 2 1 0 0. Totals 24 2 2 2.

NLS (AB-R-H-RBI) Sam Johnson, ss 4 1 1 0; Emma Hanson, 1b 4 0 0 0; Brianna Demig, c 4 0 1 1; Katelyn Nordmeyer, 3b 4 2 2 1; Ava Kraemer, 2b 3 1 1 0; Mackenzie Rich, 2b 4 0 0 0; Presley Arndt-Callenius, lf 4 0 2 1; Ashlyn Leindecker, p 2 2 1 2; Ari Linquist, dp, 2 0 0 0; Abby Dempster py 1 0 1 0. Abbi Moline, flex 1 0 1 0. Totals 32 7 9 5.

Score by Innings

NLS        002 004 1 — 7 9 3

M-C        002 000 0 — 2  2 2

E-Minneota-Canby: Bussye, Pohlen; NLS-Hanson, Leindecker, Johnson. LOB-Minneota-Canby 6; NLS 6. SB-NLS-Johnson, Deming, Arndt-Callenius, Leindecker, Linquist. SAC-Minneota-Canby: Pohlen. 2B-NLS: Johnson, Nordmeyer, Kraemer, Leindecker. HR-NLS: Nordmeyer.

Pitching                         IP  R    ER  H   BB  K

Minneota-Canby

Larson  (L)                     7   7      5   9    2     2

NLS

Leindecker (W)             7    2      0    2   5     5

Minneota 9, Montevideo 4

Coach Heidi Boerboom admitted she was nervous when her team trailed Montevideo 3-2 in the fourth inning.

"I was kinda nervous," she said.

But the Minneota/Canby softball team got the bats rolling in the fourth inning, scored four runs and went on to a 9-4 victory over Montevideo.

It was the first game of the Section 3AA Playoffs in Minneota and set the Vikings up for a second game later today against the winner of the Benson vs. New London-Spicer game.

"It took us one time through the lineup. Then our bats came alive," said Boerboom.

Down 3-2, the Vikings changed the game with a nice four-hit rally keyed by singles from Audra Buysse, Alexa Sanow and doubles by Abby Hennen and Emily Pohlen.

Sandwiched in between the hits were walks to Abby Rangaard and Kaylee Johnson and when the fourth inning was over, Minneota/Canby led, 6-3.

Montevideo, which used two pitchers, never got back in the game.

The contest started inauspiciously for the Vikings when Lexi Brockmollar slammed her first home run of the year over the left field fence. They made it 2-0 on a Maddy Kilibarda double in the third before Minneota/Canby scored a pair of runs on just one hit by Kaylee Johnson and three walks by Monte started Megan Anderson. Despite the short-lived Monte lead at 3-2, this turned out to be pitcher Sydney Larson's game.

She fanned seven hitters. then, to make sure the game was safe, Larson socked a home run over the left field fence.

"Sydney (Larson) was able to get out of some jams (on the mound)," said Coach Boerboom.  And her home run kind of put the exclamation point on the game.

Abby Hennen ended with a pair of doubles and two runs knocked in and Emily Pohlen knocked in three runs with her double and a sacrifice fly.

The game ended when Montevideo was rallying and got Noelle Saflow's fourth hit of the game, scoring the fourth Monte run. But catcher Hennen got the ball back on a throw to home and whipped it to first to Katie Konold to catch Saflow off first to end the game.

Johnson added two hits and scored twice as the Vikings rapped out eight hits and ended Montevideo's tournament hopes.

Minneota/Canby 9, Montevideo 4

MINNEOTA/CANBY (AB-R-H-RBI) Abby Hennen, c 3 3 2 2; Kaylee Johnson, cf 2 2 2 1; Emily Pohlen, ss 2 0 1 3; Sydney Larson, p 3 1 1 1; Madison Sorensen, 3b 3 0 0 0; Abby Rangaard, lf 3 0 0 0; Audra Buysse, 2b 3 1 1 0; Katie Konold, 1b 2 1 0 0; Alexa Sanow, rf 3 1 1 0. Totals 24 9 8 7.

MONTEVIDEO (AB-R-H-RBI) Noelle Saflow, lf 5 1 4 1; Kari Douglas, dp 4 0 1 0; Lexi Brockmoeller, ss 4 1 1 1; Sydney Zinnel, c 3 0 1 0; Maddy Kilibarda, 2b-p 3 0 1 1; Kaylee Pauling, 1b-3b 4 0 1 0; Jaysa Herfendahl, pr 0 1 0 0; Alissa Eickhoff, cf 3 0 0 0; Tegan Marty, 3b-2b 3 0 1 0; Megan Anderson, p-1b 3 1 1 0; Cali Molde, flex 0 0 0 0. Totals 32 4 11 3.

Score by Innings

Montevideo                     101 100 1 — 3 11 1

Minneota-Canby             002 403 x — 9  8   3

E-Minneota-Canby: Larson 2, Pohlen 1; Monte: Saflow. LOB-Minneota/Canby: 7; Monte: 13. SAC-Minneota-Canby: Johnson, Pohlen. 2B-Minneota-Canby: A. Hennen 2; Johnson, Pohlen; Monte: Zinnel, Kilibarda, Marty. HR-Minneota-Canby: Larson; Monte: Brockmoeller.

Pitching                       IP      R    ER   H   BB   K

Minneota-Canby

Larson (W)                  7       4      2     11  3      7

Monte

Anderson  (L)               4      8     8      6    6      1

Kilibarda                       2     1      1      2    1      1

WP-Anderson 3. HP-Marty, Anderson (by Larson)