Softball team wins conference crown

On Monday, May 14, the Maple Lake Irish softball team faced their toughest competition in the conference, Rockford, in a home game and was able to pull off a 4-0 win. The Irish started off on defense and pitcher Brooke Decker began the first inning with a strikeout. The next batter got on base by error followed by a fly-out to right field and another strike-out. On offense, Decker started the Irish off with a base hit. After two strike-outs, Shelby Rachel stepped up to the plate and hit an RBI single, which gave the Irish a 1-0 lead. A strike-out brought the teams to the second inning. The second and third innings went quick for both teams as players struck out and grounded out. For Rockford, the fourth inning consisted of more ground-outs. However, the Irish got something going with a single hit by Courtney Couette. A fly-out and ground-out brought Maple Lake to their last out but, the pressure didn’t have an effect as Holly Goelz and Paige Blizil hit singles and Becker followed with a double. This brought the score to 4-0. The fifth, sixth, and seventh innings were uneventful as the Irish and Rockets struggled to reach the bases. With quick 1, 2, 3 innings it was soon down to the final three outs of the game and Rockford hoped to make a comeback. But, Decker didn’t give them a chance as she struck out the three batters, ending the game. With this victory, the Irish reached one of their goals for the year and clinched the Central Minnesota Conference Champions title.
More information and stats appear in this week’s Messenger.