Photo by Lee Epps
It has been a rough start to the spring campaign, weather-wise. The first full week of the season was more than half wiped away by inclement weather, but Caledonia/Spring Grove softball was able to get two games in on Monday and Tuesday. They dramatically beat a rival Monday on a walk-off hit and then got a huge individual performance on Tuesday. Hosting La Crescent/Hokah, the teams played a tight contest. Caledonia built a 3-0 lead only for the Lancers to author a four-run fifth to go ahead 4-3. The Warriors tied it in the fifth. In the bottom of the seventh, Amber Stemper’s line-drive single to center scored Emily Ideker for the walk-off win, 5-4! Paige Klug (3-4, two 2Bs, 2 RBI), Brianna Stemper (2-4, 2B, 2 R), and Ideker (2-2, two 2Bs, 3 R, RBI) each had multiple hits. A-Stemper (1-3, RBI) had the heroic game-winning RBI. Teagan Lange (7 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, Win) had just the one tough inning. A night later, Chad Augedahl’s group hosted Rushford-Peterson. The senior Lange had a huge game. She went 4-for-4 with two home runs, six RBI, and two runs scored. Her efforts led the Warriors to a five-inning 15-3 win over the Trojans, which entered having won two of their first three games. Ideker (2-2, 2 R) and Lydia Jennings (2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R) added multiple-hit games. Klug (1-2, 2 RBI, 3 R, 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) and B-Stemper (1-3, 2 R, 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, Win) split the pitching. A-Stemper (1-3, 2B, R) added production. Ava Drazkowski (2-2, R), Ellie Ekern (1-2, 2 RBI), Cassandra Boyum (1-2, 2B, R), and Avianna Anderson-Ingram (1-3, RBI) did work for the Trojans. The Warriors (2-0, 3-1) won their third game in four games (having played four in four days). R-P fell to 1-2, 2-2.