Fresh off a Gopher Conference co-championship and winners of 11 of 12, the NRHEG High School softball team had high hopes for the 2015 postseason.
They lasted about three innings.
The Panthers, seeded No. 2 in the South Sub-Section of Section 2AA, were one and done in the playoffs, upset 13-0 by Tri-City United Tuesday, May 19 at New Richland’s Legion Field.
The Panthers finished in a three-way tie for the conference crown under Coy Hupfeld in what turned out to be his first and only season as head coach; he’s accepted a job in his Iowa hometown. NRHEG finished 12-4 overall.
The Panthers could never get the bats going against TCU as they were no-hit and had just one walk.Neither side had gotten a hit until the visitors broke it open in the fourth inning, when they hit a home run while scoring five times.
“Even as the lead increased and with our bats silent, our girls still remained focused and picked each other up,” said Hupfeld.
Kayley Camerer saved a hit with a diving catch on a line drive, and in the senenth Rachel Collins made a diving stop down the third base line and threw the runner out at first.
Anna Lundberg pitched for the Panthers, allowing nine earned runs on 12 hits, with five walks and two strikeouts in seven innings.
The Panthers will graduate five seniors: Anna Stork, Alyssa Esplan, Kelli Harrington, Ryann Hagen and Jade Peterson. Lundberg and Torrie Stencel are the only juniors this year.
The question now is, who will coach this promising group?