United South Central batter Kendal Harpestad drills a ball for a base hit during a game at Thompson Park in Wells earlier in May.

So close, but just not close enough.

The United South Central Rebels’ softball team came just one game shy of going to the State Softball Tournament.

The Rebels needed to defeat the New Ulm Cathedral Greyhounds twice on Thursday night, May 30, at Caswell Park in Mankato in order to punch their ticket to State.

They downed the Greyhounds 3-0 in the first game of the evening, forcing a deciding second game. But, they fell 4-0 in that second game and it will be New Ulm Cathedral who will be headed to the State Tourney.

In that second and deciding game, New Ulm Cathedral scored all four of their runs in the sixth inning. But they had other chances to score even more runs, as they outhit USC 8 to 1, and left eight runners on base during the game.

USC’s only hit was by Mariah Anderson.

Anderson also pitched all seven innings and gave up the four runs and eight hits, walked three batters and struck out 13.

Greyhounds pitcher Jayde Altermatt also pitched seven innings, giving up just the one hit, walking none and striking out 10 Rebel batters.

The USC Rebels end their season with a 23-3 record.

USC 3, NU Cathedral 0

In the first game last Thursday, the USC Rebels shut out the New Ulm Cathedral Greyhounds and won by a score of 3-0.

The game was scoreless through six innings and the Rebels scored all three of their runs in the top of the seventh inning and then shut out the Greyhounds in the bottom of the seventh for the victory.

USC outhit New Ulm Cathedral 4 to 1. The Rebels got hits from Mariah Anderson, Taylor Schroeder, Riley Getchell and Olivia Bungum.

Anderson pitched all seven innings of the shut out. She gave up just the one hit, walked two batters and struck out 16.

The Greyhounds’ Abbey Hillesheim gave up the three runs on four hits, walked three and struck out three.

USC 3, MCW 1

The United South Central softball team avenged an earlier loss to the Martin County West Mavericks and defeated them 3-1 in a game on Tuesday, May 28, in the Elimination Bracket of the Section 2A Softball Tournament.

The win propelled the Rebels into the Section Championship round with a game against New Ulm Cathedral set for Thursday, May 30.

Martin County West had played New Ulm Cathedral to see which team would enter the Championship round. That loss dropped the Mavericks to the Elimination Bracket and a game against USC.

The Rebels had made their way through the Elimination Bracket after having lost 4-3 to MCW on Saturday, May 25.

In the game on Tuesday, May 28, the Rebels scored two runs in the first inning and another one in the third inning for an early 3-0 lead.

The Mavericks scored a single run in the fourth inning which came on a solo home run.

The Rebels outhit the Mavs 7 to 3. Kendal Harpestad and Taylor Schroeder had two hits each, with one of Harpestad’s being a double and one of Schroeder’s a triple.

Mariah Anderson, Lily Lutteke and Alivia Bruegger had the other Rebel hits.

Anderson pitched all seven innings, giving up one run, three hits, one walk and striking out 13.

MCW pitcher Sydney Clow pitched six innings and gave up three runs, seven hits, walked two and struck out three.

USC 1, Springfield 0

Earlier in the day on Tuesday, May 28, the United South Central Rebel softball team faced off against Springfield in the Elimination Bracket of the Section 2A Softball Tournament being played at Caswell Park in Mankato.

The Rebels scored one run in the second inning and that was all they needed as it was the only scoring in the game by either team.

USC won 1-0 and advanced to the championship game of the Elimination Bracket.

The Rebels outhit the Tigers 5 to 3 in the game. Lily Lutteke, Hannah Niebuhr, Olivia Bungum, Riley Getchell and Ivy O’Rourke each had one hit.

Getchell’s hit was a double which scored Niebuhr with the game’s only run.

Mariah Anderson pitched all seven innings giving up three runs, two walks and striking out 16 Tiger batters.

Springfield pitcher Jalivia Richert gave up one run, five hits, walked three batters and struck out five

USC 4, Sleepy Eye 1

After suffering a heartbreaking loss in their first Section 2A game of the day on Saturday, May 25, the United South Central Rebels bounced back and defeated the Sleepy Eye Indians 4-1 in the afternoon game.

USC took an early 2-0 lead after the first inning, but Sleepy Eye scored a run in the second to cut that lead to 2-1.

The Rebels scored two more runs in the third inning to go up 4-1, a score which lasted through the next four innings to the end of the game.

The Rebels had four hits to the Indians’ two. Olivia Bungum led the way with two hits and Mariah Anderson and Kendal Harpestad had one hit each.

Anderson pitched all seven innings and gave up the one run on two hits, walked two batters and struck out 15.

MCW 4, USC 3

In their first game at Caswell Park in Mankato on Saturday, May 25, the USC Rebels lost a heartbreaker 4-3 in nine innings to Martin County West.

The Mavericks scored two runs in the third inning and added one in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead.

However, the Rebels came back with one run in the fourth and two in the sixth to tie the game and it went to extra innings.

In the ninth inning the Mavericks scored a run, and in the bottom of the ninth the Rebels had a chance to score but did not, and lost the game.

USC was outhit by MCW 7 to 5. Mariah Anderson had two hits, while Lily Lutteke, Riley Getchell and Hannah Niebuhr each had one hit.

Anderson pitched all nine innings and gave up the four runs on seven hits, walked no one and struck out 16. MCW pitcher Maddie Carlson also pitched nine innings, giving up three runs on five hits, walked four batters and struck out 12.