After having 15 hits in the last regular season game, the Blue Earth Area Buccaneer girls softball team could only manage one hit in the first game of the 2AA Section Tournament.

BEA fell 3-0 to Norwood-Young America in a game played in St. Peter on Tuesday.

The game was scoreless through three innings. The NYA Raiders got a run across in the fourth on a throwing error.

In the sixth, NYA got two more runs with a base hit, two walks, an error and another hit.

BEA’s Maddie McDonald had the only hit. The Bucs had just two base runners in the game.

“Its the same story – we had good pitching and defense, but no hitting,” Coach Bob Hanson said. “We had a team batting average of .215 this year, and you won’t win a lot of games that way.”

The loss ended the season for BEA, which had an 8-12 overall record and 4-6 in the conference.

NYA was the fifth seed, BEA was seeded fourth. The Raiders went on later that evening to beat the No. 1 seeded St. Peter Saints 6-2.

Hanson said he feels the future is bright for the team, as they lose just three seniors from this year’s squad.

“We have some great young pitchers, and we will return all of our infielders,” he said. Hanson will be retiring from teaching at BEA, he said, but plans to continue on as the softball coach next year.

BEA 9, Fairmont 8

The Buccaneer softball team built up an early 8-0 lead and then hung on to defeat the Fairmont Cardinals 9-8 in a game on Friday, May 15.

The Bucs had 15 hits. Leading the barrage was Alicia Rorman who was 4 for 5. Ashley Campbell was 3 for 4 and Cali Rauenhorst was 3 for 5. Bridget Moore went 2 for 4 at the plate and scored two runs.

Maddie McDonald was the winning pitcher, getting 14 strike outs and issuing just one walk.

Fairmont scored seven runs in the sixth to pull close at 8-7.

The Bucs got an insurance run in their half of the sixth and they needed it as the Cards got another run in the seventh.

This was the last regular season game for BEA.