Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall pitcher Alissa Moen throws from the circle during a non-conference softball game against Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta on Thursday at the Marshall Softball Complex.

MARSHALL — Defensive improvements weren’t enough to help the Marshall softball team earn a non-conference win over Morris Area on Thursday night. The Marshall Tigers kept the Morris Tigers off the board in four of the game’s six innings, but a pair of hiccups helped Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta claim the 6-0 win.

“Defensively, we played a very, very solid game. Alissa [Moen] threw a very solid game, was getting grounders, getting ahead in the count,” Marshall head coach Stacey Baedke said, adding that she felt the team’s defensive improvements started to show in its 4-2 road loss to St. Peter on Tuesday. “Just couldn’t get the bats going.”

Alissa Moen pitched well for Marshall, striking out five batters with five hits and three walks over six innings. She started the seventh but was pulled after the first two Morris batters reached base on an error and a single. Of the six runs she allowed, five were unearned.

Bailynn Parsons and Jennifer Lee accounted for Marshall’s lone hits of the game, with Parsons also reaching base on a walk. Both of the hits came in the sixth inning, and a wild pitch advanced the runners into scoring position with two outs, but a strikeout ended the scoring opportunity.

Samantha Konz scored the game’s first run in the top of the first for Morris after drawing a walk and scoring on a Makenzie Konz double.

The visiting Tigers built on that lead with another trio of third-inning runs. A Ryla Koehler triple and a Samantha Konz walk put runners on the corners when Brenna Jergenson reached on an error at short to drive in Koehler. After a strikeout put two away, Haley Kill hit a two-run single behind the Marshall defense to make the score 4-0 in favor of Morris Area.

Sara Dallman took over for Moen with no outs in the seventh. She got a ground out to put one away and a fly out to left field, but a runner scored on each play to give the visiting Tigers a 6-0 lead.

Justine Kirst and Taylor Frana each reached on errors in the bottom of the seventh, but a pair of strikeouts left the runners stranded.

Kill threw all seven innings for Morris, striking out 12 Tigers while allowing two hits and a walk in the shutout performance.

Backstop breakthrough

Parsons had a quality defensive day behind the plate at catcher for Marshall, throwing out two of Morris’ steal attempts and making another throw right on line and on time, despite the tag not being applied. 

“I think she’s just getting more comfortable with our players in practice,” Baedke said of Parsons. “She’s typically throwing on the money every day, so we know she can do it… I think it’s just about getting familiar with our new players and feeling comfortable, and they definitely connected today.”

Up next

Marshall, now 0-6 on the season, goes on the road on Tuesday for a 5:30 p.m. doubleheader at New Ulm (3-0). While the rosters look very different, the game is a rematch of last year’s Section 2AAA tournament elimination bracket final, in which New Ulm defeated Marshall 1-0 despite Morgan Bjella throwing a no-hitter.

“I think just focusing on the basics with us,” Baedke said of the team’s priorities heading into the game. “We just need repetition, repetition… swinging at strikes versus swinging at balls.”