RTR 2, Lakeview 1 

WALNUT GROVE — The Russell-Tyler-Ruthton and Lakeview softball teams fought in a close game Tuesday night, but the Knights were able to prevail for a 2-1 victory in a non-conference matchup.

RTR and Lakeview were tied 1-1 through the fifth inning, but Laken Baartman scored on a single line drive to right field from Jaida Fricke to give the Knights back the lead. Baartman initially got on base with a single ground ball to center field and stole second during the next batter. 

For RTR, Fricke pitched the entire night, allowing five hits, one earned run and struck out 10 batters. The Knights had four hits on the night. 

Lakeview’s Makenna Anderson was also on the mound the whole game, allowing four hits, one earned run with six strikeouts. 

Baartman had the two runs for RTR, first running home in the bottom of the third inning, while Fricke led with two hits and an RBI. 

Avery Hinz scored Lakeview’s lone run off a Teagan Fiene RBI in the top of the fifth inning, tying the score up at 1. The Lakers finished with five total hits. 

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton (2-1) heads back to Tyler to host Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian (0-1) for its next game on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

Lakeview (0-1) hosts Montevideo for a home opener on Thursday in Cottonwood. The first game is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.

RTR 11, RRC/WWG 5

WALNUT GROVE — Laken Baartman and Jaida Fricke combined for seven RBIs for the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton softball team in a Red Rock Conference matchup against Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove on Tuesday. The Knights jumped ahead with a five-run second inning and cruised to an 11-5 win.

RTR trailed 1-0 heading into the second when walks to Brezlyn Buchert, Morgan Appel and Taylin Thooft loaded the bases with two outs. Baartman gave RTR the lead with a two-run single and, after a Paisley Thooft walk reloaded the bases, Fricke hit a three-run double to make the score 5-1 in favor of the Knights.

Fricke pitched the full seven innings for RTR, allowing two earned runs on 10 hits and a walk. She struck out five batters in the game.

There was a home run for each side in the game. Leah Carter hit a two-run shot for the Falcons in the third inning after Carlie Ross reached on an error, trimming RTR’s lead to 6-3, while Baartman hit a fifth-inning grand slam to make the score 10-3. Baartman’s four-run shot came after Payton Johansen singled and Appel and Taylin Thooft walked.

Carter led the Falcons with three hits while Natalie Wahl added another two. Both Wahl and Carter finished with two RBIs. The Falcons out-hit RTR 9-6 on the day. 

Laken Baartman reached base a team-high four times, logging a pair of hits and two walks as well as four RBIs. Paisley Thooft also had a hit and a walk while Buchert and Appel each walked twice.

Carlie Ross was charged with the loss for RRC/WWG, giving up five earned and six unearned runs over seven innings. She struck out eight batters while giving up six hits and nine walks.

RRC/WWG took an initial lead in the bottom of the first when Natasha Wahl hit a leadoff single before scoring on a Natalie Wahl double.

Johansen dropped down a sacrifice bunt to score Kelsey VanderPlaats in the third inning but RRC/WWG answered in the bottom of the frame with Carter’s home run. 

Ross and Natalie Wahl each hit RBI singles in the bottom of the sixth to trim RTR’s lead to five runs, but Paisley Thooft responded with one for the Knights in the top of the seventh. Fricke then retired three of the four batters she faced in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win. 

Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove (1-1) will play its third of four consecutive home games to start the season on Thursday when it hosts Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

Game 1

Wabasso 7, BLHS 2

STEWART — The Wabasso softball team opened its Tomahawk Conference doubleheader against Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart on Monday with a win. A total of five extra-base hits paved the way for the Rabbits to claim a 7-2 victory.

Wabasso first got on the board in the third inning when Camryn Irlbeck hit a triple and then scored on an error with two outs.

In the fourth, Wabasso bolstered its lead with another four runs. A double from Aylah Jenniges and a single from Macy Rohlik put runners on the corners with one out. Jenniges scored on a passed ball and, after a ground out, an Irlbeck double made the score 4-0. Carlson followed up with an RBI triple before a fly out ended the rally.

Jenniges tossed the full seven innings for Wabasso, allowing a pair of earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out 10 batters.

Jenniges, Rohlik and Irlbeck each had a pair of hits for the Rabbits, including a double and a triple for Irlbeck, a triple for Rohlik and a double for Jenniges. Carlson also logged a triple in the game.

BLHS scored its first pair of runs on a pair of singles broken up by a double in the bottom of the sixth. The two-run inning proved no use; Rohlik hit an RBI triple before scoring on a passed ball, and Jenniges retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win. 

Wabasso 12, BLHS 2

STEWART — Wabasso carried the momentum of its first victory over Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart right into the second game of a Tomahawk Conference doubleheader on Tuesday. The Rabbits scored four second-inning runs and another seven in the fourth to cruise to a 12-2 win in five innings.

With one out in the second, Camryn Irlbeck and Alexa Remiger walked with a Sara Carlson single in between to load the bases. Peyton Jenniges then broke the tension with a two-run double, Audrey Johnson drove in Remiger on a ground out and Jenniges scored on a fielder’s choice. 

Aylah Jenniges earned the win on the mound, allowing two unearned runs on three hits and a walk over four innings of work. She also struck out five batters.

Kayleigha Johnson led Wabasso at the plate with two hits, including a double, and three RBIs. Audrey Johnson also drove in three runs on one double while Peyton Jenniges had a double, a single and two RBIs.

In the seventh inning, Carlson drew a leadoff walk before Remiger and Peyton Jenniges singled consecutively to load the bases again. Audrey Johnson then doubled in a pair of runs and Aylah Jenniges doubled in another pair for an 8-2 lead.

Macy Rohlik drew a walk and stole second to put two runners in scoring position with one out when a Kayleigha Johnson double pushed across another pair of runs. With two outs, Carlson hit a hard grounder that turned into an error and allowed one last run to score to make the score 11-2.

The mercy rule was triggered in the fifth when a Kayleigha Johnson single scored Aylah Jenniges to bring Wabasso’s lead up to 10 runs with two outs in the frame. 

Delaina Eis pitched a scoreless inning of relief, allowing one hit and two walks. 

Wabasso (2-1) next hosts Russell-Tyler-Ruthton (2-1) on Friday at 4:30 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s Section 3A softball championship. Coming out of the elimination bracket, Wabasso won the first game by a score of 6-5 but RTR claimed the section title with an 11-1 win in the deciding game 2.

MCC 8, Adrian/Ellsworth 6

ELLSWORTH — The Murray County Central softball team staved off a late rally from Adrian/Ellsworth on Tuesday night to pick up an 8-6 win in Red Rock Conference play. 

A Rebel error in the first inning gave the Dragons a 1-0 lead but MCC surged ahead in the second. Kate Blankenship hit a hard grounder into right field before an Adrian/Ellsworth error gave her an unofficial inside-the-park home run on the game’s first at-bat. Elyse Paulzine then doubled before scoring when Taylor Larson reached base on an error to give the Rebels the lead. 

Larson later scored when Ava Deacon reached on an error with two outs, and Deacon scored on an Emmi Peltola double before the inning ended with a 4-1 MCC lead.

Thea Schneider threw all seven innings in the win for MCC, allowing four earned runs on nine hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. 

Peltola led the MCC bats with a pair of doubles, while Paulzine added one double. Kate Blankennship also reached base twice with a single and a walk while Calleigh Doeden and Schneider each walked twice.

MCC led 8-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh when the Dragons gave them a scare. MCC retired the leadoff batter, but an error, a passed ball and a single put one run across the plate for Adrian. Brekkyn Dreesen then hit a two-run homer to make it a two-run game, but a line out and a ground out secured the MCC win.

MCC padded its lead in the third. Schneider reached on an error and Doeden and Blankenship walked consecutively before a second error allowed two runs to score. Blankenship then capitalized on a passed ball to make the score 7-1 in favor of the Rebels.

MCC scored a pair of runs in the fourth but MCC added one last insurance run in the sixth on a Doeden sacrifice fly to score Peltola.

Murray County Central (1-0) returns to Slayton on Thursday to host Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey at 4:30 p.m.