Softball Panthers ousted in first round of tourney
By JIM LUTGENS
Editor/Publisher
The old adage, “It’s tough to beat a good team three times in one season,” rang all too true for the NRHEG High School softball team.
The Panthers, who defeated Bethlehem Academy twice by one run in the regular season, saw their season end abruptly with a 5-4 loss to the Cardinals in the opening round of sub-section play Tuesday, May 21 at New Richland’s Legion Field.
“We knew this was going to be a close game,” said NRHEG coach Wendy Schultz.
And it was. The line score for both teams was nearly identical except for the one that counts most: the final score.
The factor that won’t count in the stat book is that Panther star Jade Schultz remained sidelined, recovering from a serious knee injury sustained in the state basketball semifinals.As they’ve done all season, though, the Panthers did their best to make up for Schultz’s absence, battling to the end.
The Panthers led most of the day, taking a 4-2 advantage after two innings and holding it until the fifth, when BA plated three runs.
“BA hit the ball very well against us,” said Coach Schultz. “All five of their runs were earned. With the bases loaded in the top of the fifth inning their pitcher drilled one deep into the outfield that scored three runs.”
The Panthers put runners in scoring position in the bottom of the sixth and seventh but left them stranded.
“We couldn’t get the key hit when we needed it,” said Schultz.
Tara Simon was 2-for-4 for the Panthers with two RBIs, Alyssa Esplan 2-for-4 with one RBI. Anna Stork, Ryann Hagen, Makenna Thiele and Hannah Lundberg had one hit apiece. Hannah scored twice and stole three bases.
Anna Lundberg threw another complete game, giving up five earned runs on seven hits, with six walks and three strikeouts.
The third-seeded Panthers, who were 7-3 in the conference, finished 9-5 overall.
The Cardinals, seeded sixth, lost at second-seeded Waseca Thursday, May 23.
“Overall, I think the girls had a good season,” said Schultz. “They never gave up and always worked hard both in practice and at games. I’m proud of the way they played. We had consistent pitching and catching all year. We are a very young team with only two seniors on our squad. We look forward to next year with experience under our belt and the return of Jade.”