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Robbinsdale Cooper 4, CL 2

The Wildcats jumped on the Robbinsdale Cooper Hawks for two runs in the first inning, but the Hawks came from behind to beat the Wildcats 4-2 Tuesday, April 25 at New Hope Elementary School.

In the first inning, Jenny Reed and Ariel Novak singled to put runners on first and second with one out. With two outs, Whitney Slagerman doubled to center to score Reed and Novak to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead. But the Hawks tied it up in the bottom of the second, scoring two runs after loading the bases with no outs.

The Wildcats had several more opportunities to score, but didn’t put across any more runs. In the top of the third inning, Andrea Nelson doubled and Ariel Novak reached first on a passed ball after she struck out to put runners at the corners with one out. But the next two Wildcat hitters struck out to end the inning. In the sixth, the Wildcats again put two runners on base with one out – on an error and a walk – but two Wildcats struck out to end the inning.

Cooper took the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. After a leadoff walk, the next two batters went out. But the Hawks put together three straight singles to push across two runs and take a 4-2 lead.

In the seventh, the Wildcats’ pattern repeated itself. Pinch hit singles by Katie Johnson and Kori Sells and a passed ball put runners on second and third with two outs, but two more strikouts ended the threat and the game. The final score was Robbinsdale Cooper 4, Chisago Lakes 2.

Totino Grace 3, Chisago Lakes 1

The Wildcats must have felt like they were in the movie Groundhog Day when they hosted the Totino Grace Eagles. As in their game against Robbinsdale Cooper, they took the lead in the first, their opponent tied it up in the second and later scored to take the lead. The Wildcats had three good scoring opportunities after the first inning, but couldn’t capitalize. They lost by a final score of 3-1.

In the bottom of the first inning, Jenny Reed walked with one out. Ariel Novak doubled to center field to score Reed and put the Wildcats up 1-0. Novak reached third on a passed ball, but the Wildcats couldn’t bring her home. Totino Grace mirrored the Wildcat performance in the top of the second, as they scored on a one out single and double as well to tie the score at 1-1.

In the third inning, Andrea Nelson singled and moved to second, but was stranded there. In the top of the fourth, the Eagles rallied for two runs on just one hit with a lot of help from the Wildcat defense. Two Wildcat errors and a throw to a wrong base on a bunt loaded the bases with two outs. The next batter singled, scoring two runs for a 3-1 Totino Grace lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Wildcats had one more good opportunity to score. Whitney Slagerman doubled to lead off the inning. Katie Johnson and Kori Sells walked to load the bases with one out. The next batter hit a ground ball to the shortstop, who threw home for the force out. The next Wildcat batter grounded out to the pitcher to end the game, and the final score remained Totino Grace 3, Chisago Lakes 1.

“That may have been Whitney Slagerman’s best-pitched game of the year,” said Wildcat head coach Steve Fisher. “She struck out eight, didn’t give up any walks and moved the ball around well.”

Fisher talked about some of his other players. “Andrea Nelson and Ariel Novak have been helping us offensively, getting on base with walks and hits. Freshman Lisa Schommer is playing well at first base. And Karina Swanberg’s hitting has improved quite a bit over the last couple of years.”

The Wildcats sere scheduled to play at St. Louis Park Monday, May 1, but the game was postponed due to wet field conditions. They were scheduled to host Benilde-St, Margaret’s Tuesday, May 2. Today, Thursday, May 4 they play at Fridley at 4:15 p.m. Next Monday, May 8, they return home to host St. Francis. It’s back on the road again on Tuesday as the Wildcats take on Spring Lake Park at 4:15 p.m.

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