Bethlehem Academy Softball Suffers First Loss at Triton

The Faribault Bethlehem Academy Cardinals were one strike away from victory Tuesday night but fell to the Triton Cobras 7-6 in extra innings in Dodge Center.

The Cardinals had a 5-2 lead going into the bottom of the sixth inning when Triton sent nine batters to the plate to tie the game and send it into extra innings. Bethlehem Academy plated a go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning on sophomore Kylie Hanson's third hit of the day and her second RBI.

In the bottom of the inning, Cardinal junior pitcher Shelby Meyer retired the first two batters on fly outs, then had a 1-2 count on senior leadoff slap hitter Ella Blaisdell when she dribbled a hit toward third base and beat out the throw. Cobra senior Kayla Dostal followed with an RBI double to center.

The Triton pitcher Tatyanna Bond came to the plate and smacked an 0-2 pitch for a single and Dostal scored the walk off run.

Bethlehem Academy scored two runs in the first inning after back-to-back walks put Kylie Hanson and Shelby Meyer on base. Sophomore catcher Grace Viland had a single to load the base paths.

Sophomore cleanup hitter Meagan Donahue then hit the ball on the second base side of the infield between the pitching circle and first base. The second baseman threw home and Hanson was called out even though it appeared to me (and Cardinal coach Tom Langfeldt) that Hanson scored and took a couple of steps before the ball was caught by the Triton catcher.

Eighth-grader Delaney Donahue smacked an RBI single and Breanna Degrood put the ball in play to plate Viland and the Cardinals were up 2-0.

Triton scored an unearned run in the bottom of the first.

Leadoff hitter Blaisdell got on base by error and went to second base and another error allowed her to gain third base. Blaisdell scored on an RBI single by Dostal. Dostal went to second on a wild pitch and then stole third.

The next batter, senior third baseman Candi Utech, hit a ball back to the pitcher and Dostal tried to score on the play and was easily thrown out at the plate.

Meyer then seemed to settle into the game with four consecutive strikeouts. The Cardinal right-hander would finish the game with seven strikeouts and two walks.

Triton collected 11 hits against Meyer but the difference in the game was defense. The Cobras did not have an error while Bethlehem Academy tallied three.

Meyer finished the game throwing 137 pitches, 95 of them were strikes.

Triton's pitcher Bond finished with 127 pitches, 73 for strikes, while collecting three strikeouts and issuing five walks and hitting a batter. She allowed eight hits.

It was the Cobras' first game of the season while Bethlehem Academy falls to 2-1 on the year.

Our Faribault State Farm Insurance agents Faribault players of the game were Kylie Hanson and Grace Viland.

Hanson made an awesome over-the-shoulder back to the infield catch racing from her shortstop position down the third base line in shallow left field. She also had three hits and two RBI.

Viland blocked a number of pitches at her catching position and had three hits while scoring a pair of runs.

Bethlehem Academy left nine runners on base and five in scoring position while Triton had nine runners left and six in scoring position.

The Cardinals host Waterville-Elysian-Morristown at North Alexander Park and Triton goes to Kenyon-Wanamingo on Thursday.

In other softball games Tuesday:

• Faribault finally got their first game in and boy did they take out their frustrations in a 22-0 win at Albert Lea. McKayla Armbruster allowed just two baserunners and the Falcons committed no errors in the lopsided affair. The hitting was highlighted by a Cassie Swanson two-run homer. Faribault hosts Owatonna on Thursday.
• Cannon Falls beat Lake City 13-11 in a hit fest. The Bombers had 12 hits and Lake City 15 in the game. Taylor Eddy paced Cannon Falls with five hits and Brook Peters added three hits, including a homer.
• Hayfield dominated Kenyon-Wanamingo 17-2 in five innings. Natalie Hildebrandt had the only hit for K-W against Viking pitcher Jackie Sanvick. Hayfield clobbered 18 hits.
• Zumbrota-Mazeppa defeated two-time defending Class 2A state champion Kasson-Mantorville 9-7 in a wild one at Zumbrota. The Cougars had a 9-0 lead going into the final inning when the Komets rallied for seven runs and came up just short.
• Alden-Conger 16, United South Central 14
• Farmington 8, Shakopee 7
• Eastview 4, Lakeville North 3
• Eagan 6, Rosemount 4
• Prior Lake 11, Apple Valley 1
• Lakeville South 6, Burnsville 3
• Mankato West 4, Mankato East 0
• Le Sueur-Henderson 4, New Prague 2
• Red Wing 11, Austin 10
• Norwood Young America 7, Tri-City United 6
• Northfield 14, Owatonna 12
• Rochester John Marshall 4, Rochester Century 2
• Winona 2, Rochester Mayo 1
• Southland 7, Plainview-Elgin-Millville 6