MANKATO — Mankato Habaneros coach Coley Ries Welter came into the inaugural Northwoods League softball season looking to build a team that could win in a variety of ways.
After three games, it looks like the Mankato entrant in the four-team league is going to rely on a heavy dose of offense, along with an air-tight defense, to keep things heading in a positive direction.
Monday night at ISG Field, the Habeneros banged 13 hits and committed only one error in a 13-6 triumph over Minot. The second game of the doubleheader was still going late Monday.
Jessa Snippes, a left fielder from the University of Minnesota, went 4-for-4 with a walk and scored three times as Mankato improved to 2-1 on the season. Paige Zender, a designated player from Iowa State, continued her early onslaught by driving in her ninth run with a home and double.
“Our offense has been explosive, and that’s been fun to see,” Ries Welter said. “You don’t totally know what you have when you’re building a roster so it has been fun to see what everybody can do.
“We’ve had some Sports Center Top 10 plays if you ask me. It has been very impressive to see on both ends of the game. We were looking for players that wanted to come here and improve their game for their college seasons. We wanted people that wanted to buy in and be part of the process of starting something new. … We want people with the right attitude that are willing to get better.”
Mankato grabbed an early 4-0 advantage when slick-fielding third baseman Brooke Holmes (St. Cloud State) smacked an RBI double into the left-field corner, and Snippes followed with a run-scoring double into the right-center field gap. Amity White reached on a one-out single in the second before a stolen base and passed ball set up Holmes’ RBI groundout. Holmes, Zender, Serena Timmer and Savannah Teale each collected two hits.
“This is such a great environment and everyone wants to work hard and get better,” Snippes said. “Summer league means working to get better and get ready for the upcoming season. … I like the dedication we have on this team.”
Teale, a first baseman from Kentucky State, ripped two-run singles in each the fourth and fifth frames as Mankato put things away.
“It feels good good to be back on the field,” said Zender, who tallied five hits and eight RBIs in Sunday’s doubleheader split with Minot. “Coley reached out to me and a few of my teammates wanted me to play. We just met on Wednesday so I feel it’s great to see our chemistry be this good early. I’ve been training hard the last month and I feel really comfortable right now.”