The Faribault Falcon softball team fell in extra innings to state-ranked Mankato East on Tuesday night in a terrific high school game at Caswell Park in North Mankato.

The Falcons had just two seniors on their team this season and served notice to the rest of the section and Big Nine Conference they've arrived to compete with the best teams in the state.

Faribault scored a run in the first inning after loading the bases with a walk and back-to-back singles. Cleanup hitter sophomore Bre Bresnahan hit a ground ball to the second baseman who threw home for the force out at the plate.

That was followed by a strikeout and it looked like the Falcons might not score with the bases loaded.

Freshman catcher Abby Van Ryn hit a single through the shortstop hole, scoring freshman pitcher Mckayla Armbruster to load them up again and the inning ended with a ground out.

The lead didn't last very long. In the bottom of the first Mankato East plated three runs on four hits.

In the top of the third Faribault would score five runs on just two hits. The inning started with a pop out. Bresnahan then walked and on a 3-0 pitch sophomore Cassie Swanson hit a grounder to second that wasn't fielded cleanly and ended up safe at first on the error.

Van Ryn connected and the catcher tried to throw Bresnahan out at third but threw the ball low and it hit the foot of the third baseman and it was booted into shallow left field scoring Bresnahan.

After another pop out, freshman Kaylie Burkhartzmeyer smacked an opposite field RBI single to give Faribault the lead.

No. 9 nine hitter freshman third baseman Ellie Knutson connected on her second career homer. The count was 1-0 and Knutson's round tripper was a no-doubt opposite field three-run shot. Both of her homers this season came off Mankato East in Mankato on the radio.

The inning ended with a strikeout and Faribault sent eight people to the plate and took a 6-3 lead. It didn't last long again.

Mankato East scored three runs in the bottom of the inning after the first two batters were retired. They connected four consecutive hits, two of them doubles, to tie the game and that's where the game stayed through the end of regulation.

Faribault certainly had their chances.

The Falcons had runners on base every inning of the game but could only connect for multiple hits in one other inning while Armbruster allowed just two base runners after the third inning through the seventh.

There was a smash off the bat of Bresnahan right to the pitcher ending in a double play in the fourth inning. A two-out single by designated player senior Raena Quinnell was followed by a strikeout in the fifth. A two-out single by Armbruster was followed by a hit back to the pitcher in the sixth. Two-out back-to-back singles by Van Ryn and Quinnell in the top of the seventh were followed by a ground out.

It looked like Mankato East might end the game in regulation.

In the bottom of the seventh they got a lead-off single by their sophomore shortstop Lily Andrego. She stole second when No. 3 hitter junior catcher Torey Richards couldn't get a bunt down. Richards grounded out. Andrego went to third on a ground out and Armbruster got another ground out to end the seventh and send the game into extra innings.

In the top of the eighth the Falcons had back-to-back strikeouts to start the inning before Armbruster had a hit. The inning ended with a pop out.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Cougars were in business with back-to-back singles by No. 2 and No. 3 hitters Andrego and Richards. The second was a bunt.

Designated player freshman Haley Stockman then stepped to the plate and hit a grounder to sophomore Falcon second baseman Claire Drentlaw. She attempted to tag the runner coming by from first base going to second and then quickly throw to first for a double play but the ball got away from the first baseman and Mankato East won in walk-off fashion with the runner scoring from second to end the game.

It was Faribault's only error of the game while Mankato East had two miscues.

Mankato East finished with 12 hits in the game, eight of those came in the run-producing first and third innings.

Faribault had 11 hits, with hits in all but one inning in the game.

Armbruster came into the game with a 1.74 ERA and averaged just under eight strikeouts per contest. She had three strikeouts and all were of the No. 9 hitter. After the third inning, Armbruster was masterful at keeping the hitters off balance by changing speeds very well until the eighth. The freshman finished with just one walk allowed and threw 110 pitches, 76 for strikes, and was 25 of 35 first-pitch strikes.

Mankato East junior pitcher Morgan Keim-Wolfe threw 133 pitches with nine strikeouts and two walks and had 22 first-pitch strikes to 39 batters.

Faribault's two seniors, Quinnell and Hannah Dozark, were our State Farm Insurance players of the game courtesy of Faribault State Farm Agents Jason Krohn and Tony Langerud.

Faribault finished the season 16-9 with two losses to Mankato East and one to top-ranked Mankato West. They split with East during the regular season and lost twice to them in the section tournament. They gave Mankato West one of their toughest games of the season falling 4-2 in a two-day game due to rain and really wanted another shot at the Scarlets.

That will have to wait until next year.

Summer ball begins this weekend for Faribault, and Mankato East gets a rematch with Mankato West for a section title and state tournament berth this Thursday at Caswell Park in North Mankato.

On Monday, East lost 13-10 to West in eight innings.

The Scarlets have won all three of their meetings this season but it hasn't been easy. The scores of the other two contests were 4-0 and 6-4. Mankato East has to beat Mankato West twice Thursday to go to state.

Faribault could be the team to beat next year.

Falcons softball
Freshman Brooke Flicek on the bases. File photo vs. Mankato East 5/16/16 taken by Gordy Kosfeld
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