The smiles on the faces of these Blue Earth Area softball players told the story after they recorded the last out against United South Central to win the game 7-3 in their last regular-season game of the year on Saturday, May 20.

The No. 3-seeded Belle Plaine Tigers knocked the No. 14-seeded Blue Earth Area Buccaneers out of the Section 2AA playoffs in softball action on Tuesday, May 23.

The host Tigers scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning and added 12 more in the home half of the third inning to defeat the Bucs 16-0 in four innings.

Belle Plaine pitcher Sienna Bemmels only allowed two hits while holding BEA scoreless.

Kylee Eckmann and Taylor Klabunde were the two Buc players to get hits during the contest.

Belle Plaine moves on to face the No. 6-seeded St. James Saints while BEA ends their season with a record of 2-17.

BEA 7, USC 3

After watching his team struggle in the field while yielding two runs to the United South Central Rebels in the top of the first inning, Blue Earth Area coach Cody Sukalski called his team together for a talk.

“I just told them we needed to wake up and focus,” Sukalski said. “I reminded them we were better than the way we were playing.”

His encouragement worked and the Buccaneers rallied for a 7-3 victory over the visiting Rebels in a game played in Blue Earth on Saturday, May 20.

BEA gave up another run in the top of the second inning to fall behind 3-0 to USC.

Mariah Anderson led off the game for the Rebels by getting hit by a pitch. She stole second base and went to third on an error by the Bucs. She scored on a wild pitch to put USC on top 1-0.

The Rebels’ second batter, Kendal Harpestad, reached first base with a single. Molly Wegner hit a grounder to BEA pitcher Olivia Dutton who threw to first baseman Clara Ziegler for the out. The Bucs had Harpestad caught in a run-down but an error allowed Harpestad to reach second base safely. Two wild pitches resulted in another run and a 2-0 lead for USC.

Anderson, the outstanding Rebels’ pitcher, struck out the side in the bottom of the first inning to keep the score 2-0 in favor of the visitors.

Olivia Bungum led off the top of the second inning with a line drive single off of the glove of BEA’s shortstop, Ashlyn Klinkner. Bungum advanced to second on a wild pitch and then scored on a single up the middle by Riley Getchell, who was thrown out trying to go to second base on the throw home. After one and one half innings, the Rebels’ lead was 3-0.

BEA threatened in the bottom of the second inning with runners at second and third base with only one out. However, Anderson worked out of the jam by recording a strike out and a ground out to end the inning.

Over the course of the next three innings, USC would only have one baserunner. BEA was also having trouble getting runners on base. Erika Gaydon led off the bottom of the third inning with a single, but Anderson retired the next three batters. The Rebels’ pitcher also worked a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fourth.

Things began to go the Bucs’ way in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Leadoff batter Lily Olson reached on an error and went to second base on a wild pitch. A double by Ziegler drove in Olson with BEA’s first run of the game.

Erika Gaydon flew out to the shortstop for the first out of the inning. Dutton hit a ground ball and reached first base safely when the shortstop’s throw pulled the first baseman off of the bag. Isabelle Vargas, who was running for Ziegler, remained at second base during the play.

Kylee Eckmann’s single loaded the bases. Reagan Machacek came to the plate and hit a double to bring home Vargas and Dutton and tie the game at 3-3.

Eckmann, who ended up at third base on Machacek’s double, scored on a sacrifice fly by Taylor Klabunde to give the Bucs a 4-3 lead after five complete innings.

Dutton retired the Rebels in order in the top of the sixth inning to bring the Bucs back to the plate in the bottom of the inning.

Ashlyn Klinkner led off with a single for BEA and went to second base when Olson singled past the first baseman. A single over third base by Ziegler scored Klinkner and moved Olson to second.

Ziegler stole second base to put runners on second and third. Gaydon grounded out to the second baseman which allowed Olson to score and Ziegler to move to third base. A single by Dutton to right field plated Ziegler with the Bucs’ seventh, and final, run of the game.

A back-handed, diving catch by left fielder Klabunde on a sinking line drive helped the Bucs escape any damage in the top of the seventh inning and Berkley Hagedorn caught a pop fly at second base to end the game and give BEA the 7-3 win.

“We beat a good team today and a quality pitcher,” Sukalski said. “It was a good win for us.”

Dutton picked up the win for the Bucs. She pitched seven innings and allowed three earned runs while giving up five hits. She struck out four batters and did not issue any walks.

Anderson was charged with the loss for the Rebels. She gave up seven runs, three earned.