Wildcats win three in DC play before losing to Fall Creek

The Blair-Taylor softball season got off to a strong start last week with three Dairyland Conference wins before the team lost in the regular season for the first time since 2018 on Saturday.

The Wildcats first game of the season came last Tuesday and ended up being a short game with a 15-0 win over Independence/Gilmanton. They went on to defeat two top Dairyland Conference contenders Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran, 7-2, on Wednesday, and Melrose-Mindoro, 12-2, on Friday. Saturday, however, they gave up a late score as Fall Creek handed B-T its first loss, 6-5. It was the first regular season loss for B-T since April 24, 2018. 

Weather permitting, the Wildcats were scheduled to play a bunch of road games this week, with games at Pepin/Alma, Alma Center Lincoln and Augusta set for Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, they’re slated to host Prescott before welcoming Loyal this coming Monday and hosting a doubleheader against Whitehall on Tuesday. 

B-T 15 I/G 0

The Wildcats didn’t allow a hit in their first game as they cruised to a 15-0 win over the Indees.

Seniors Abby Thompson and Lindsay Steien combined to go four innings without allowing a single hit or walk while striking out six. Thompson got the win, pitching the first three innings and striking out four, while Steien struck out two of the three batters she faced. An error in the first inning prevented a perfect game for B-T.

B-T scored three runs in each of the first two innings as Steien led off with a single and scored on an error. Lexi Lofgren and Lydia Frederixon added run-scoring hits in the inning. Steien doubled Sydney Fremstad home in the second then scored herself on a dropped fly ball. Thompson hit the fly ball and was able to come all the way around to score, putting B-T ahead 6-0.

The Wildcats continued to rake in the third, adding eight runs on six hits and they added another to win by rule in the fourth.

B-T had 14 hits in the game as Steien went three-for-four, Fremstad was three-for-three and Frederixon was two-for-three. Steien, Callie Wagner and Fremstad all batted in two runs. 

Leah Sylla took the loss, striking out two with two walks. She didn’t get much help as the Indees committed seven errors behind her, leading to eight unearned runs. 

B-T 7 ECI 2

The Wildcats took control of the game with three runs in the bottom of the third.

The Lancers had three hits in the top half of the inning to tie the game, 1-1, but B-T quickly regained the lead. Steien and Thompson both doubled to start the bottom half of the inning with the latter’s hit scoring the former. Thompson later scored on a passed ball before Andrea Walders scored on a groundout, making the score 4-1.

Steien led off the fifth with an inside the park home run before Lexi Lofgren singled to bring Thompson home, making the score 6-1. 

Both teams scored runs in the sixth as the Wildcats held on to win by five.

Steien had three of B-T’s eight hits and was the winning pitcher striking out six without a walk in five innings. Thompson pitched the last two, striking out five without a walk. 

B-T 12 Mel-Min 2

Five runs in the first inning put the Wildcats ahead before they pulled away late.

A three-run home run by Lydia Frederixon put B-T ahead 4-0 before Madalynn Frederixon scored on an error to give B-T a five-run advantage after the first inning.

The Mustangs scored two runs off of three hits and a walk in the top of the third, but B-T’s offense came alive again in the fourth when Steien doubled in a run. Kierstyn Kindschy and Sydney Fremstad had run-scoring hits in the fifth before Fremstad ended the game, by rule, with a three-run double in the sixth. 

B-T had 14 hits in the game as Fremstad was three-for-four with four RBIs. Steien went three-for-three while Madalynn Frederixon and Kindschy both had three hits. 

Abby Thompson pitched a complete game win, striking out four while walking two and allowing four hits.

Fall Creek 6 B-T 5

The Crickets scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh to upset the Wildcats.

B-T took a 5-1 lead with four runs in the fifth inning, but they couldn’t hold it until the end.

After two of Fall Creek’s first three batters reached in the bottom of the seventh, a double brought in one run. Steien got a strikeout for the second out of the inning, but then allowed three straight hits, which tied the game before hitting the next batter.

The winning run scored on a passed ball.

Steien pitched a complete game, allowing eight hits and three walks while striking out nine. Two of Fall Creek’s runs were unearned. 

B-T had six hits in the game, two by Kindschy, who also batted in two runs. Thompson and Lydia Frederixon also had RBIs in the game. 

Fall Creek is 8-0 on the season and was a sectional qualifier in Division Four last season.