BEA’s Kylee Eckmann catches the ball and tags out the runner trying to go to third base when BEA hosted Jackson County Central in a game played on May 1, in Blue Earth.

After two scoreless innings, the Medford Tigers’ softball team got on the scoreboard with three runs in the top of the third inning and went on to defeat the host Blue Earth Area Buccaneers 10-3 in a non-conference softball game played on Monday, May 8.

The Bucs also scored in their half of the third inning when Clara Ziegler was hit by a pitch and advanced to second base on Kylee Eckmann’s single to center field. Ziegler stole third and scored on a bunt by Erika Gaydon to cut Medford’s lead to 3-1 after three complete innings.

The Tigers scored one run in the top of the fourth before the Bucs pushed two runs across the plate in the bottom of the inning.

Consecutive singles by Reagan Machacek, Taylor Klabunde and Ashlyn Klinkner loaded the bases.

Olivia Dutton produced a run-scoring single to bring Machacek home and keep the bases loaded. Klabunde, who had advanced to third base on Dutton’s hit, scored the second run of the inning for BEA when the ball got away from the Medford catcher. However, the Tigers maintained a 4-3 lead after four innings.

Medford scored four more runs in the top of the fifth inning and added single runs in the sixth and seventh innings while holding BEA scoreless in the final three innings to go home with a 10-3 victory.

Eckmann pitched four and a third innings and gave up four runs on six hits. She walked six batters and struck out one.

Dutton relieved Eckmann in the top of the fifth inning with one out and pitched the remainder of the game.

She was charged with six runs on eight hits. She had two walks and did not strike out any batters.

Seven different BEA batters had hits, all singles.

Pipestone 9, BEA 0

The host Pipestone Arrows scored nine runs in the first three innings and held Blue Earth Area scoreless to claim a 9-0 triumph in the first game of a doubleheader played in Pipestone on Thursday, May 4.

The Bucs were held to just five hits with Kylee Eckmann getting two of them.

Eckmann went the distance on the mound. In six innings of work she allowed nine runs on 12 hits. She walked two batters and struck out two.

Pipestone 15, BEA 1

Blue Earth Area was the home team on the scoreboard for the second game of the doubleheader but Pipestone scored in every inning on their way to a 15-1 victory in five innings.

Batting first, the Arrows scored all of the runs they would need in the top of the opening inning when they pushed two runs across the plate.

Pipestone added one more run in the second inning, two in the third, six in the fourth and four in the fifth to account for their 15 runs.

The Bucs scored their lone run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Claire Sullivan doubled and moved to third base on a single by Olivia Dutton. Sullivan then scored on a ground out by Lily Olson.

BEA had a total of four hits. In addition to Sullivan’s double, Eckmann also had a double while Dutton and Klabunde each had singles.

Dutton pitched all five innings for the Bucs. She walked three batters, struck out three and gave up 18 hits.