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Cambridge-Isanti 8, Chisago Lakes 6

The Wildcat softball team trailed 8-2 to the Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets after the fourth inning on Monday, April 20 at Cambridge-Isanti High School. The Wildcat offense came alive late in the game, but their sixth-inning rally fell short and the Bluejackets hung on for an 8-6 win.

Leading 1-0 after the first inning, the Bluejackets exploded for five runs in the second, keyed by a three run double. Cambridge added single runs in the third and fourth innings, which later proved valuable. The Wildcats singled five times in the top of the fourth, including run-scoring hits by Rylan Sheppeck and Molly Luoma. The Wildcats trailed 8-2 entering the top of the sixth. Aubrey Perry walked to lead off the inning, and Rylan Sheppeck doubled to drive in courtesy runner Kayla Larson. Pinch hitter Angel Palmer singled to move Sheppeck to third, and Luoma singled to drive in Sheppeck to cut the Bluejacket lead to 8-4. Jess Dittel-Hoefler and Jesa Leritz struck out. Annika Smith singled to drive in two runs to cut the lead to 8-6. Malchow walked to put runners on first and second. But Adysen Corey struck out to end the inning. The Wildcats went 1-2-3 in the seventh and the Bluejackets had a home win.

Chisago Lakes 12, Zimmerman 0 (5 innings)

In the first game of a doubleheader, the Wildcats scored three runs in each of the first four innings and shut out the Zimmerman Thunder 12-0 on Tuesday, April 21 at Zimmerman High School.  The game was shortened to five innings because of the ten-run rule. Rylan Sheppeck led the way offensively with two doubles in three at bats with four RBIs. Jess Dittel-Hoefler, Jesa Leritz and Molly Luoma had two hits each, and Leritz and Annika Smith drove in two runs apiece. Makenna Thorsen pitched all five innings. She allowed just three hits, walked one and struck out six.

Chisago Lakes 6, Zimmerman 1

Aubrey Perry allowed just one earned run in seven innings as the Wildcats beat the Zimmerman Thunder 6-1 in the second game of the doubleheader. She gave up one earned run on eight hits, walked one and struck out eight.

In the bottom of the second, Annika Malchow singled and pinch runner Brenna Twohy later came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Adysen Corey to give the Wildcat a 1-0 lead. In the third, six Wildcat batters in a row singled – Jess Dittel-Hoefler, Jesa Leritz, Annika Smith, Malchow, Perry, and Corey – and the Wildcats scored three times to go up 4-0. The Thunder got one back in the top of the fourth. In the bottom of the inning, one out singles by Seanna Ritter, Dittel-Hoefler and Leritz loaded the bases. A sacrifice fly by Smith and a single by Malchow pushed across two more runs to make the score 6-1.  Perry closed out the game by allowing just two hits in the final three innings while striking out four.

St. Francis 6, Chisago Lakes 3

Two Wildcat errors with two outs in the top of the second inning led to four unearned runs for the St. Francis Fighting Saints, and they went on to beat the Wildcats 6-3 on Wednesday, April 22 at Chisago Lakes High School.

With the game still scoreless in the top of the second, a walk and a single put Saints runners on first and second with no outs. The runner on second attempted to steal third, but catcher Rylan Sheppeck threw the runner out for the first out of the inning. A walk put runners on first and second. The next batter hit a grounder to shortstop Molly Luoma, who threw to third to force the runner for the second out. Another grounder to short looked like it would end the inning, but an error by Luoma loaded the bases. The next batter doubled to drive in the first two runs of the game. An error by first baseman Aubrey Perry allowed another run to score and kept the inning alive. The next batter singled to drive in a run to make it 4-0. A grounder to second finally ended the inning.

Makenna Thorsen singled to lead off the bottom of the third inning, and Luoma was hit by a pitch. After Jess Dittel-Hoefler sacrificed the runners to second and third, Jesa Leritz singled to drive in both runners and cut the Saints lead to 4-2. The Saints answered with another unearned run in the bottom of the fourth. Back-to-back doubles in the top of the sixth pushed the Saints’ lead back to four runs at 6-2. The Wildcats made a bid to rally in the bottom of the seventh. Adysen Corey and Sheppeck hit back-to-back singles to start the inning, and Thorsen walked to load the bases. Luoma hs a ground ball that drove in a run to cut the Saints lead to 6-3 and left the bases loaded. But the rally fizzled as Dittel Hoefler and Leritz struck out and Annika Smith grounded out to end the game.

Softball Squiggles

The Wildcats (6-5) will host the Becker Bulldogs this afternoon at 5 p.m. at Chisago Lakes High School. They will head to Mark Park in Princeton to play the Tigers at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5.

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