A five-run fourth inning gave the host Fairmont Cardinals a 9-0 lead before they added one more run in the fifth inning to defeat the visiting Blue Earth Area Bucs 10-0 in softball action on Tuesday, May 6.

The Bucs had seven hits, including two by Ava Grant, but could not push any runs across the plate against Cardinals’ pitcher Gabriella Leiding.

Fairmont broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the second inning when they scored one run to take a 1-0 lead. They increased their lead to 4-0 when they added three more runs in the bottom of the third inning.

Grant pitched all four innings for BEA and gave up 10 total runs (nine earned) on 10 hits. Grant walked six batters and struck out one.

Each team committed one error during the game.

WEM 12, BEA 0

The Bucs’ softball team only managed to get two hits when they traveled to Waterville to take on the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Buccaneers on Monday, May 5. Meanwhile, WEM combined eight hits along with six BEA errors to produce a 12-0 victory.

Laura Steinhauer and Abigail Greff were the two BEA players to each get a hit.

Ava Grant went the distance on the mound for the Maroon and Gold. Only four of the 12 runs she surrendered were earned. Grant walked two batters and struck out five.

Medford 18, BEA 3

The Medford Tigers broke the game open with a 12-run fourth inning to defeat the Blue Earth Area Buccaneers 18-3 in softball at the 14th Street Diamonds in Blue Earth on Thursday, May 1.

BEA was leading 3-1 after two complete innings of play before Medford scored five times in the top of the third inning to take a 6-3 lead.

The Tigers had taken an early 1-0 lead when they scored one run in the top of the first inning.

The Bucs tied the game in the bottom half of the inning when Jesse James scored on a double by Reagan Machacek. James had led off the inning with a single and stole second base before advancing to third base on a ground out.

In the bottom half of the second inning, a single by Laura Steinhauer and a double by James gave the Bucs two runners in scoring position with one out. Ava Grant drove in both runners with a double to momentarily give the Bucs a 3-1 lead.

The final stats showed that Medford outhit BEA by a 14-8 margin. The Tigers did not commit an error while the Bucs had eight.

Grant pitched all four innings for the Bucs. Only six of the 18 runs scored by Medford were earned. Grant walked four batters and struck out five.