Brenlee Knudson stands on second base during the Panthers loss to LCWM Thursday, May 26, 2022. Knudson recorded one of only two Panther hits.
Ava Kyllo collects herself after a minor collision with a LCWM runner.
By: Eli Lutgens
Publisher/Editor
It was all smiles after the opening round of the section 2AA playoffs for the NRHEG softball program after its 12-0 five inning win over St. Clair/Loyola Monday, May 23, 2022.
The Panthers scored early, and often with the first inning beginning and ending with senior Ava Kyllo batting, as the team batted around.
The first five hitters for the Panthers all singled, (Ava Kyllo, Sidney Schultz, Faith Nielsen, Sophie Stork) with RBIs going to Faith Nielsen, and Brenlee Knudson, and later in the first to Preslie Nielsen. Brenna Sommer also singled and scored in the inning which had the Panthers leading 6-0 going into the second.
Stork was solid again from the hill, striking out five, walking one, and only allowing two hits in the five inning shutout.
The Panthers put an exclamation point on this game after Stork hit the team’s second home run of the season, a 2-run shot over the left centerfield wall in the bottom of the second.
The rest of the way saw the Panthers add two more in the third, and fourth innings to secure a second round match with Lake-Crystal-Wellcome-Memorial Thursday, May 26, 2022.
As many smiles the Panthers had Monday night, were met by equal smiles from the three-seeded Knights as they took this one 10-0 in five innings.
It was a cold afternoon and an equally cold offensive performance as the Panthers only mustered two hits on the day.
Despite the cold weather, the Panthers had nothing to shake their heads about for much of the game. Stork held the Knights in check from the mound, only allowing two runs, on a home run, through the first three innings.
The fourth inning started well for the Panthers with a two out double from Faith Nielsen, almost going over the fence. After she was left stranded, things fell apart for the Panthers.
After a strikeout, single, and a sac bunt began the bottom of the fourth, the Knights mounted a three-run, two out rally which included a double, a walk, and a two-run single to make the score 5-0.
After a Knudson single in the fifth, the Panthers went away quietly. In the final frame, five hits, including a double and a walk, ended the game for the Panthers.
Despite the loss, the Panthers earned their way into the double-elimination bracket of playoffs and are scheduled to play Saturday, May 28, 2022 at 2 p.m. at Caswell Park in Mankato.
After each game, NRHEG Head Coach Wendy Schultz answered some questions about the Panthers performance, among other topics.
Comments
What follows are some of the questions and answers following the win against St. Clair
What are your thoughts on the Co-Conference Championship the girls earned this season?
Coach Schultz: “We had Randolph come into our conference championship and they were reigning state champions. So, and they had graduated players, but their program is phenomenal and we knew that they would be tough. And that was our second game of the season and we dropped that game by one. We used to play everybody (conference opponents) twice, but we only played them once and that was a game we wish we could play again.
“I’m just so proud of how they’ve been playing, they never give up, they are just always working hard in practice and we always say hard work shows on the field. So I'm just proud of them. We knew that if we wanted to win the conference or be co-champs, that we had a lot of close games. We beat Waterville by one and that was in extra innings. Even Faribault BA was 2-0 and Hayfield 3-1. So we had a lot of close games where we were able to pull out and win. Yeah, I’m just proud of them.”
The girls look like they have a lot of fun, not only during the games, but also outside of it. Do you coach that?
Schultz: “You know what, they’re just such an awesome group. They know in practice we need to work hard all the time, but yet we can incorporate fun in there and they always know how to do that. Sometimes you might get situations where maybe it’s ya know, squirreling around a little too much, or whatever the case, but they just always work super hard but have a good time doing it. It says a lot about the girls.”
You lost a lot of good players last year, including a lot of power from Chloe, how did you rebuild so well this year and how did you incorporate more small ball this year?
Schultz: “We play to what our strengths are and we do have some girls who are pretty quick… Ava is just so pivotal being the first person at bat. When she’s able to get on it’s almost like it’s a double because every time, because we are going to steal and she hasn’t gotten out once on a stolen base in 33 attempts. Then you have Sid up and she can bunt or she’s a pretty darn good hitter too. But we always seem to move people around that way and then with Faith when she gets up, she’s a really good bunter. She’s had so many sacrifice bunts. And we have kind of done that in certain situations, where we bunted, just because we have people who are pretty quick on the bases.”
It was Senior night the other night, can you share any special memories you may have with this group?
Schultz: “Just all four of them have their great positive qualities about them. It’s so awesome for our program. Some of them have played for quite a few years and they just have great attitudes no matter if they play a bunch or a little or how the game is going. Really they’re just a great group of girls that will be sorely missed.”
Do you think it’s kind of sad for the seniors here tonight playing their last ever home game?
Schultz: “Oh my gosh yeah, for sure. You know I think that even probably tonight, we did not bring it up or talk about it all tonight that this would be their final home game. I didn’t bring it up at all. We just went about it like every game. We always say it doesn’t matter who it is we’re playing, we are going to do the things that we need to do to try and put us in the win column. But yeah. It’ll be sad. Hopefully it’s later than sooner.”
Plan for Thursday?
“We played LCWM in Sections last year and beat them 7-4 and it was quite deep in the playoffs. We know they’re a good team and we’ll have to put everything together to beat them… It’ll be a tough one.”
Comments after LCWM
What did you tell your kids going into Saturday for double elimination?
Schultz: “We just said, you know what, we’re gonna have short term memory. The game’s over. That’s a good team, hats off to LCWM. There is a reason why they’re seeded number three. We just said that we’re going to go into Saturday, just looking to hit the ball, making sure that we play good defense, working together as a team, that we stay positive, that our on the field that we’re chattering, when we’re up on the fence, that we’re chattering, and if something happen, and we have an error, that we just let it go and move on.”
What went wrong tonight?
Schultz: “They had some good hits. And they’ve ten-runned a lot of teams this year…That was kind of the scouting report I got from probably three or four other coaches. The top four kids really, can, really hit.”
Hung with for the first 3 innings, but the offense just couldn’t heat up -
Schultz: “Up at the plate we struggled. Scouting her (the pitcher) we knew that she throws a lot of strikes and we talked about trying to get on the first pitch, get on the first strike and we did, but just didn’t make contact with it. Props to her, she pitched well.
“After that, they just got some key hits, aggressive on the bases and one thing led to another and all of sudden it was two, and then it was five and next thing you knew it was ten.”
How much more difficult is it to play two games or plan for two games on Saturday?
Schultz: “Last year when we were there we had scouting reports on three different teams because you didn’t really know who you were gonna be playing. Now we’re at the point where we’re in the losers bracket where we’re just gonna be playing, playing, playing.”