Friday, March 29th, 2024 Church Directory

Bulldog softball goes 2-3 in busy week

It was a very busy stretch last week for the Becker Bulldog softball team, as Head Coach Jason Baune and his squad played five games in five days, ending with a 2-3 record.

“It’s been a season of ups and downs - after a slow start due to the weather, injuries, etc, we went on a six game winning streak and it appeared things were coming together,” Baune said.  “Unfortunately, inconsistent play returned this past week leading to three more losses.”

Two Wins

Last Thursday, the team traveled to Cambridge-Isanti for a doubleheader and came away with two wins. Game one was a 16-4 final.  

“We scored at least one run in each inning, building a lead of 9-0 before the Bluejackets got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the fourth,” Baune said.  

After Becker extended the lead to 13-2 in the top of the sixth, the Bluejackets again avoided the run-rule by scoring two more runs and sending the game to the seventh where Becker added three runs to get to the 16-4 final. “Maddie Sherman picked up the win going all seven innings and allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits,” Baune said. Sherman walked one and struck out seven, while the leaders at the plate were Kurstyn Patnode, Cadence Koste, Makenna Zerwas, Evelyn Kreft, Nevaeh Gardner, and Norah Fitzpatrick, each of whom had three hits in the game. Kreft and Fitzpatrick each hit home runs in the game.

Game two was a much lower scoring affair, being scoreless until the fourth when Becker was able to jump out to a 3-0 lead.  Sherman and Patnode each had RBI hits in the inning.  The Bulldogs added another run in the fifth, when Koste doubled and scored on a Hannah Bartlett double. Jaimee Cook would make sure the four runs would hold up as she pitched a complete game shutout. She allowed only three hits and one walk while striking out 12 in the game. Bartlett, Kreft, and Ellie Gallus led the Bulldogs with two hits each.

Elks

On Friday, the team played host to Elk River and the Elks came out swinging in the top of the first and built a 6-0 lead en route to a 13-2 win.

“Maddie Sherman quickly answered in the bottom of the first as she led off the inning with her first career home run to make it 6-1,” Baune said.  The Elks added to their lead with two runs in the top of the third and two more in the top of the fourth to make it 10-1.  Hannah Bartlett would single and eventually score on a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the fourth, but that would be the final Bulldog run.  

Lightning

Saturday brought a trip to Eastview with the chance to to play a make up game from earlier in the season.  The Lightning would jump out to a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the bottom of the first. They would add another run in the third to make it 2-0. A series of Bulldog errors would allow the Lightning to blow the game open in the fifth when they plated six runs to make it 8-0. Four consecutive hits off the bats of Patnode, Koste, Zerwas and Bartlett in the top of the sixth would allow the Bulldogs to narrow the score to 8-3, but the Lightning would add an insurance run in the bottom of the inning and hang on for the 9-3 win.  

“Patnode took the loss despite pitching well,” Baune said.  

Cook would again close out the game by pitching the sixth for the Bulldogs, while Koste and Sherman each had two hits to lead the Bulldogs.

Saints

Monday, Becker closed the conference schedule with a 5-1 loss to St. Francis.  

“It was one big inning that again doomed us,” Baune said.

 After two scoreless innings, the Saints plated four runs in the third.  Becker cut into the lead in the bottom of the third when Ellie Gallus reached on a bunt single and scored on a Sherman double.  The score would remain 4-1 until the sixth when the Saints added a run to come away with the victory.  

Patnode went all seven innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits and four walks, while striking out six. Sherman was the leader at the plate with two hits and the only Becker RBI.

Becker finished up the regular season with a trip to Zimmerman on Thursday and our home tournament on Saturday (today).  

“We will look to build some momentum as we head towards the playoffs,” Baune said. “We will likely host a first round playoff game Tuesday afternoon before heading on the road for the remainder of the playoffs.”