Softball programs keep churning out the results

Jags walk-off Waconia, Kennedy extends streak to six games

After winning six straight games, the Bloomington Kennedy softball team dropped a pair of games on Saturday against Blaine (11-1 in 5 innings) and Eagan 6-3.

Senior shortstop Katie Edmonds went 2-for-4 against Eagan at the top of the lineup stealing two bases and scoring once. The Eagles used hits from five batters including pitcher Noelia Fierro, Sasha Nicholson and Ava Taylor as they outhit Eagan 6-4.

Earlier in the day, Blaine opened up a 5-0 lead in the first inning, adding four more runs in the third inning to take control of the game as Bengals pitcher Sidney Kline gave up one run on three hits with one walk and struck out four Kennedy batters to earn the complete game victory.

Edmonds came through a double and drove in Emma Skibbie for the lone Eagles run. Skibbie and Fierro came through with the other Kennedy hits.

The tough day came after scoring 29 combined runs in wins over Richfield and Totino-Grace earlier in the week. Kennedy earned its second consecutive shutout with a 14-0 win over Richfield in five innings on April 30 thanks to a 9-run rally in the fifth inning. Ten different Eagles picked up a hit with four batters coming through with at least two hits. Edmonds led the group going 3-for-4 scoring twice while Fierro drove in a pair of runs and drew one walk.

Spencer, Emma Skibbie and Nicholson each had a double with Spencer knocking in four runs. Maya Skibbie went 2-for-2 scoring twice.

Emma Skibbie struck out eight Richfield batters while throwing a one-hit shutout for the complete game.

The Kennedy bats remained red-hot against Totino-Grace as the teams combined for 30 hits on May 1.

Edmonds and Allie Sheehan each had three hits while Emma Skibbie led Kennedy with a 4-for-4 performance at the plate. Spencer blasted a pair of home runs in the cleanup spot to drive in five runs. She shared the team lead in RBI with Fierro who had a double and scored three times. The top four batters in the lineup accounted for 10 of the 15 runs. Nicholson and Taylor combined to score five times and stole three bases.

Fierro and Emma Skibbie combined to strike out seven batters and walked seven batters.

Jefferson

The Jaguars are off to a 6-4 start under the return of head coach Jim Hanson, Jr. to the dugout following a pair of Metro West Conference wins to start May.

Jefferson rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 5-4 win over Waconia at Dred Scott Fields on May 1 before Friday’s 4-1 win over Chaska on the same field.

Against Waconia, Aaliyah Lawrence’s flyball to right field dropped safely in to allow Emily Ly to score the decisive run with two outs.

Jefferson tied the game on a Waconia fielding error allowing Remi Rudiquist to score on a ground ball off Regan Friederich’s bat.

Waconia built a 4-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first inning and again in the fourth inning before Jefferson broke up the shutout bid with two runs in the fifth inning. A bases-loaded single by Rudiquist brought home Maddy Pieper and Olivia Oerther to cut the lead in half.

Rudquist went 3-for-3 with a walk and drove in two runs while Oerther and Ali Pauly each had two hits from the No. 2 and 3 spots in the order.

Jaguars pitcher Brooke Borwege settled in to scatter four runs (one earned) and nine hits across seven innings. She limited the Wildcats to one walk and struck out two batters.

Friday’s game was less dramatic as neither offense could muster much through four innings of scoreless ball.

Thorman and Pauly put Jefferson on the scoreboard with RBI singles in the fifth inning as Maggie Munsinger scored on Thorman’s one-out line drive hit to right field. Pauly followed with another strong shot to right field this time with two outs to bring in Grace Rolek from third base.

Lawrence doubled to right field in the fifth inning before scoring on a wild pitch with Thorman at the plate. She drove in Munsinger with a fly ball to center field to take a 4-0 lead.

Chaska broke up the shutout bid with one out in the seventh inning before Borwege picked up the final two outs for the four-hit complete-game victory. She gave up one unearned run without issuing a walk and struck out three batters.