Gopher Softball Claims 5th West Title

Earlier in the year, Chatfield softball pitchers Lexi Chase and Carlie Berge surrendered zero earned runs (one run period), over a three game span.  To close out the regular season, the duo surrendered just one run over five games.  Jerry Chase’s Gophers ended the season with a five win, four shut-out, home-stand.  Chatfield claimed its fifth straight TRC West title.   Southland was first blanked, 10-0 and 11-0 (both in five).  Berge (5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K, Win) pitched a one hitter, helping offensively (2-2, 3 RBI, R).  Abby Nosbisch (2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R), Katie Ihrke (2-3, 2 RBI), and Kim Greiner (1-3, RBI, R) did plate work.  In game two, Chase was unhittable (5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 12 K, Win).  It was her fourth no-no this year.   The junior pitcher (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI), Alanna Goetzinger (2-4, 2 RBI, R), Kielan LaPlante (2-4, RBI, 2 R), Greiner (1-3, RBI, R), Teagan Allen (1-2, RBI, R), and Belle Berg (1-3, RBI, 2 R) supplied a lot of “O.”  W-K then came to town.  Chase pitched “just’ a shut-out (7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K, Win, 1-3, 2B, R).  Nosbisch (2-3, 2 RBI) had a pair of RBI hits.  The Gophers won 3-0.  Chatfield then played some Saturday double-header ball.  La Crescent first fell 11-0 (in five).  Chase (10-3) led the way both ways (5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K, 3-3, HR #2, 4 RBI, R).  Her pitching week: 17 innings, four hits, zero runs, 32 Ks.  The Berg sisters, Peyton (1-3, HR #2, 2 RBI, R) and Belle (2-3, two 2B, RBI, 2 R), combined for eight total bases.  Ihrke (2-3, 2 R) and Berge (2-3) had multiple hits too.  In game two, D-E fell 17-1 (in four).  Berge (4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K) grabbed the win to move to 5-1.  Goetzinger (1-3, HR #2, 4 RBI, R) hit a 3-run homer.  Chase (3-4, RBI, 3 R), LaPlante (2-2, 2B, RBI, 2 R), B-Berg (2-4, RBI, 2 R), and P-Berg (2-3, 2 RBI, R) had multiple hits.  Nosbisch (1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, R) and McKenna Daniels (1-3, 2B, RBI, R) helped.  Ninth-ranked Chatfield (14-2, 15-4) is 1AA East’s 2-seed and will host 7-seed C/SG (7-11).