The Spring Grove girls banged out a season-high 11 base hits while eliminating Schaeffer Academy, 14-9, in the Sub-section 1A East play-in game on May 19 at Spring Grove. But the Schaeffer girls (those other Lions) also had 11 hits and jumped out to an early 5-0 lead.
Photo by Lee Epps
Spring Grove had never trailed in either of the two double header games the teams had played three days previous on the same field (6-4 and 16-7 Spring Grove wins). But the Grove girls had to come from behind twice to take this play-off tussle. They accomplished it with two huge outbursts: a seven-run fourth inning and a game-changing six-run sixth inning.
It was a fourth straight win for No. 8 sub-section seed Spring Grove (6-9), which advances to play at No. 1 seed Southland (15-1), while the season ends without a win for No. 9 seed Schaeffer Academy (0-17).
Both teams had 11 hits, but the Grove batters displayed all the power – a triple from Kendal VanMinsel (2 RBI, 2 for 4) and doubles by both Addyson McHugh (2 RBI, 2 for 3) and Maggie Lile (2 RBI, 1 for 4). Katelyn Kraus went 2 for 3 with three runs batted in. Six Grove girls had base hits, including Jada Strinmoen (2 for 4) and Sydney Holland (2 for 4). Strinmoen was also the winning pitcher, allowing only five earned runs while striking out three and walking four.
Kate Friese and Halle Morgan did much of the damage for Schaeffer, each with three hits. Linnea Ekbom went 2 for 4 while driving in three runs.
Both Grove errors came during the first half-inning, which the visitors combined with three hits to score five unearned runs. Spring Grove threatened in the first inning but did not score until the third inning when Lile was hit by a pitch and stole second base before coming home on an RBI single from Kraus. It was 5-1.
The visitors made it 7-1 in the top of the fourth before Spring Grove’s seven-run explosion gave the home team its first lead, 8-7. There were five hits, including the VanMinsel two-RBI three-bagger.
That lead held through a scoreless inning until Schaeffer squeezed back in front 9-8 in the top of the sixth. Spring Grove quickly accepted the challenge and erupted for six runs with two doubles, two singles, two walks and an error. It was 14-9, the first comfortable lead for Spring Grove, and Shaeffer Academy had only one chance to reply.
Strinmoen went to the pitcher’s circle and closed the door, striking out the first batter and then fielding ground balls and throwing out the final two.
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SG 14, Schaeffer 9
SA 500 202 0 = 9–11–1
SG 001 706 x =14–11–2
LOB: SG 6, SA 7
Stolen bases: SG 6, SA 5
SG 11 hits: (triple, 2 doubles, 8 singles): Addyson McHugh 2-3, dbl, 2 RBI, 2 runs, steal; Katelyn Kraus 2-3, 3 RBI, run, 2 steals; Sydney Holland 2-3, RBI, steal; Kendal VanMinsel 2-4, trpl, 2 RBI, 2 runs, steal; Jada Strinmoen 2-4, 2 runs; Maggie Lile 1-4, 2 RBI, run, steal
SA 11 hits: (11 singles)
Pitching SG: Strinmoen 7 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 5 ER, 4 W, 3 K
Pitching SA: Allen K6 IP, 11 H, 14 R, 9 ER, 3 HB, 6 W, 5 K
Records: SG 6-9, SA 0-17
SG LINEUP: p Jada Strinmoen, c Sydney Holland, 1b Lydia Solum, 2b Addyson McHugh, ss Katelyn Kraus, 3b Izabel Kaufmann, lf Emerson Ingvalson, cf Maggie Lile, rf Siri Konkel, dh Kendal VanMinsel, cr Clara Myrah
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Spring Grove Softball 2023
>>6 wins, 9 losses
L at Plainview-Elgin-Millville 3-18
L at Fillmore Central/Lanesboro 7-17
L vs. Southland 2-17
L vs. La Crescent-Hokah 0-25
L vs. Houston 1-13
L at Mabel-Canton 0-15
L at Houston 5-12
W vs. Lyle/Pacelli 6-4
W vs. Lyle/Pacelli 6-2
L vs. GMLOK 0-8
L at Rushford-Peterson 10-20
W vs. Rushford-Peterson 7-6
W vs Schaeffer Academy 6-4
W vs Schaeffer Academy 16-7
Sub-section 1A East #8 seed
W vs. #9 Schaeffer Academy 14-9
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