BEA softball team improves to 4-1
Girls pick up wins against conference foes Fairmont and St. James
The Blue Earth Area softball team picked up their fourth win of the season when they traveled to St. James on April 15, and defeated the Saints 20-9 in a Big South Conference clash.
The Bucs pounded out 21 hits in the victory led by Erika Gaydon, who had four hits. Four Buccaneer batters, Kylee Eckmann, Olivia Dutton, Reagan Machacek and Ashlyn Klinkner, each had three hits. Included in BEA’s hitting barrage were eight extra-base hits, including a triple by Taylor Klabunde, two doubles by Gaydon, and two-baggers by Klinkner, Britney Hagedorn, Eckmann, Dutton and Machacek.
BEA scored in six of the seven innings of the game. The only inning where the Saints kept the Bucs off the board was the sixth inning.
The Maroon and Gold scored six runs in the first inning, four in the second, two in both the third and fourth innings, one in the fifth and five in the seventh.
St. James scored four runs in the first inning, four more in the fourth inning and added a single run in the fifth inning.
Dutton pitched the first inning and was charged with four runs, one earned. She gave up four hits, walked three batters and had one strikeout.
Eckmann picked up the win by pitching the final six innings. She allowed five runs, three earned, on four hits while walking four batters and striking out six.
The Bucs scored their first run without putting the ball in play. Eckmann led off the top of the first inning by getting hit by a pitch, Dutton and Machacek each walked to load the bases. Eckmann scored when Klabunde was hit by a pitch to give BEA a 1-0 lead.
After the Saints recorded two strikeouts, Claire Sullivan and Destinee Griffey each walked to force in two more runs and make the score 3-0. Gaydon’s first hit of the game brought home Klabunde with the fourth run of the inning.
With the bases still loaded, Eckmann walked to bring home Sullivan and make the score 5-0. A single by Dutton plated Griffey with the sixth and final run of the inning.
Next on the Bucs’ schedule was a doubleheader at home against the Windom Eagles on Thursday, April 16. The results of that game will appear in next week’s Faribault County Register.
BEA 8, Fairmont 7
It took eight innings, but the Blue Earth Area Buccaneers defeated the Fairmont Cardinals 8-7 in softball action at the 14th Street Diamonds on Thursday, April 11.
BEA outfielder Berkley Hagedorn led off the bottom of the eighth inning with her third hit of the day. Erika Gaydon laid down a perfect bunt and was safe at first base while Hagedorn advanced to second base.
Kylee Eckmann worked the count to two balls and two strikes before smacking the ball to center field for a double to drive home Hagedorn with the winning run.
“It was a great win for these girls,” second year co-head coach Blake Boran commented after the game. “I believe it is the first time we have beaten them since 2011.”
After a scoreless first inning, BEA’s Taylor Klabunde started off the bottom of the second inning by smashing a Brylee Miller pitch to right field for a stand-up double. A single by Ashlyn Klinkner brought home Klabunde with the first run of the game.
Miller struck out the next two Buccaneer batters but not before a wild pitch allowed Klinkner to move up to second base.
Hagedorn singled to right field to score Klinkner and put the Bucs on top after two complete innings.
The Cardinals got on the board with one run in the top of the third inning. Makenzie Lowry reached on an error and reached second base on a single by Haleigh Grotzinger.
Miller’s single to center field drove in Lowry to cut the Bucs’ lead to 2-1 and left Fairmont with runners on first and second with zero outs.
Fairmont may have done even more damage but their next batter, Ava Terfehr, hit a hard ground ball to Bucs’ third baseman Reagan Machacek, who stepped on third base to force out Grotzinger and fired the ball to first baseman Klabunde to complete the double play. BEA pitcher Olivia Dutton struck out the next Cardinal batter to end the inning with the Bucs maintaining their 2-1 lead.
The bottom of the third inning saw the Maroon and Gold tally five more runs to take a 7-1 lead.
Eckmann led off the inning with a single and stole second base. She advanced to third on a ground out by Dutton and scored on a single by Machacek.
A single by Klabunde and a walk to Klinkner loaded the bases.
Miller struck the next batter for the second out of the inning and was one out away from getting out of the inning.
However, Claire Sullivan hit a hard grounder up the middle to bring home Machacek and Klabunde to make it a 5-1 ballgame in favor of the Bucs.
Hagedorn’s hard smash to left field brought home Klinkner and the speedy Destinee Griffey, who was running for Sullivan, to extend BEA’s lead to 7-1.
Single runs by the Cardinals in the fourth and fifth innings cut the Bucs’ lead to 7-3.
Fairmont added four runs in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game at 7-7.
The Bucs had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Klabunde hit a one-out double and advanced to third on a wild pitch before Miller recorded a strike out and a ground out to get out of the inning unscathed.
BEA held Fairmont scoreless again in the top of the eighth inning before the Bucs won the game in the bottom of the inning.
Dutton was the winning pitcher for the Bucs. She worked all eight innings and gave up a total of seven runs, but only five were earned.
Dutton surrendered 10 hits while striking out eight Cardinal batters and walking one.
Miller took the loss for Fairmont. She gave up eight earned runs on 14 hits. She struck out nine batters and walked two.
Eckmann was 4-for-5 at the plate with one double while Klabunde and Hagedorn were each 3-for-4. Klabunde had two doubles, Hagedorn had a triple and drove in three runs.