Chase’s Perfect Start

She’s done it before.  She’ll possibly do it again.  In a nice touch to her dad Jerry’s varsity prep softball coaching debut, Chatfield junior pitcher Lexi Chase made things really easy on her old man.   Versus a good Dover-Eyota team (coincidentally coached by Fillmore Central guy Ryan Scheevel), Chase pretty much took care of everything herself (save some catching work by Peyton Berg).  Chatfield’s fifth-year junior starter faced 21 Eagle hitters and all 21 went down in order.  It was the elusive perfect game (7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 14 K, Win).  Chase struck out at least two in every inning save one, and threw just 81 total pitches (less than four per batter).  Nine of her 14 Ks were done in three or four pitches.  Offensively, Teagan Allen’s two-run first inning double was all Chatfield needed.  They prevailed 4-0.  Allen (2-4, two 2B, 3 RBI), Belle Berg (2-3, two 2B, RBI) and McKenna Daniels (1-3, 2B, R) led the offense.   It was the Gophers opener.  They are 1-0, 1-0.  Chase recorded a perfect game last season in the play-offs versus Caledonia (struck out 17).