Photo by Leif Erickson
Chatfield softball (2-sed, 17-7) continued its playoff campaign heading back to Rochester for a loser-out game with Zumbrota-Mazeppa (6-seed, 15-10). The Cougars had the Gophers down to their last out. Z-M scored the only run through 6 ½ innings, using an error and two hits in the fourth to take a 1-0 lead. They got runners to scoring position in each of the first four innings. Chatfield left runners on second and third in the fourth and sixth. Caijel Berge (4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) started for the Gophers. Top main Rylee Urban (2 2/3 IP) then came in and set down eight straight, seven by strikeout. Chatfield’s bottom of seventh was wild. Lead-off hitter Berge reached on an error, but was then caught stealing. Marley Everson (1-3, R) then singled, advancing on a wild pitch. Olivia Karver then lined out to deep right, on a great defensive play. With two out, lead-off hitter Makenna Dornack (1-4, 2B, RBI, R) kept the season alive, smacking a 2-2 offering for an RBI-double, scoring Everson. Brynn Horsman then faced three payoff pitches in a three-two count before blooping a single behind first. Dornack scored and Chatfield won in walk-off fashion 2-1! Horsman (3-4, RBI) had three hits. Madyson Proper (1-3) added a double. The Gophers (2-seed, 18-7) then played Cotter/HL (3-seed, 19-7). For a second time in the post-season, the Ramblers had Chatfield’s number. The teams came out with eight combined hits and seven combined runs in the first. But Chatfield had just two more hits the rest of the way. Cotter 1-2 batters Briar Rouleau (4-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R) and Raegan Hoheisel (4-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R) put on a display hitting and made multiple nice plays in the outfield. After a 4-3 Chatfield edge after one inning, Cotter scored the next seven to lead 10-4. They out-hit Chatfield 16-6. Brent Berge’s group scored two in the seventh but fell 10-6. Horsman (2-4, 2B, 3B) and Proper (1-2, 2B, R) each drove in two. Dornack (0-2) scored twice. Urban (7 IP, 16 H, 10 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) took the loss. The Gophers’ season ends at 18-8. It is their second straight year of finishing a game short of the 1AA title game.
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