MANKATO — Junior shortstop Lauren Schmiesing began Monday’s highly-anticipated softball showdown between No. 1-ranked Mankato East and No. 7-ranked New Ulm as the Eagles’ flex player.
Schmiesing ended the 10-inning contest by smacking a two-run home run off Cougars’ ace Kylinn Stangl to give New Ulm a 4-2 triumph at Thomas Park. Stangl, who struck out 18 and walked three in allowing six hits, and the Eagles’ Ramsey Hopp dueled pitch for pitch throughout. Hopp fanned 13 and walked one in winning a seven-hitter. East (4-1) stranded six runners compared to the Eagles’ four.
“Everyone was very energetic and we all rallied together with great defense,” Schmiesing said. “This game was a lot of fun. We wanted to start out strong, play hard, play as a team and show what we could do. I was thinking this is one of the last innings we were going to have so we needed to make the most of it.
“It was a pitch on the outside corner so I just went for it. I could tell when it hit off the bat that it felt pretty good. Kylinn is one of the best pitchers in the state so we wanted to come in here and do our best against her. … I was so excited to see it go over.”
New Ulm (4-0) scored a run in the top of the first when junior second baseman Maddie Backer lined a single into right field, stole second and came around to score when the Cougars messed up on a fielders choice. No. 9 hitter Berkley Wilfahrt singled to lead-off the third frame and scored on Kenzie Enter’s bullet up the middle. East center fielder Maddy Beaty cut down an Eagles’ runner at home plate to keep things at 2-0.
“I think we all knew coming in that this was going to be a great game,” New Ulm coach Kristi Anderson Loose said. “What is kind of a bummer is that we’re in the same section so it’s going to be a dog fight until the end. We were relatively sound defensively and we got some clutch hits. Ramsey was mentally tough, locked in and ready to go today.”
East tied the game in the bottom of third despite having two runners thrown out at the plate. Senior Destiny Reasner, filling in at shortstop for injured Emily Hacker, and seventh-grade right fielder Kenley Staunton singled in front of sophomore second baseman Carlie Wendinger’s two-run double to deep left field. Wendinger and Staunton collected two hits apiece for the Cougars.
“We knew this was going to be a tough one with New Ulm getting added to our section,” Stangl said. “It was an up and down game. We didn’t get our bats going like we wanted but I know we’ll get them going. We weren’t able to get the timely hits. I’ve known Ramsey for years and she’s always been a great pitcher. She throws the ball with great velocity and she’s one of the pitchers we’ll have to look out for this year. … We need to work harder with our at bats and just fix the things needed.”
Neither team really threatened after the third inning until a lead-off base on balls to Amber Lee in the 10th set up Schmiesing’s one-out rocket over the left-field fence.
“We just have to put the ball in play more,” East coach Joe Madson said. “We threw to the wrong bag in the first inning which cost us a run. It was a well played game with two tremendous pitchers so it comes down to who gets the timely hits. We had to move some players around with our shortstop out but we’ll get her back in a few weeks. Our kids responded pretty well to some pressure situations. … This game will make us better.”
Both teams are scheduled to play Tuesday, with East playing a 7 p.m game at Owatonna and New Ulm traveling to Waseca.