B-T softball team beats DC opponents, falls in tournament

The Blair-Taylor softball team picked up two wins against Dairyland Conference teams but lost two games in a nonconference tournament on Saturday.

The Wildcats scored plenty of runs last week as the team beat Cochrane-Fountain City, 8-3, on Tuesday and topped Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran, 15-5, on Friday. On Saturday, however, the Wildcats struggled to keep opponents off the board and Almond-Bancroft and Marshall combined to score 19 runs in two B-T losses. 

B-T began this week with a 3-3 record before Monday’s game against Prescott. The Wildcats were set to host Alma Center Lincoln on Tuesday before playing at Loyal on Thursday and Pepin/Alma on Friday. This coming Tuesday, B-T hosts Augusta. 

B-T 8 C-FC 3

The Wildcats took an early lead and then closed the door with three runs late.

Maddie Frederixon led off with a triple and later stole home. Andrea Aleckson added a run-scoring single later in the inning to put B-T ahead 2-0.

Andrea Waldera singled to score Andi Beck in the third before Frankie Zentgraf singled in Eliza Curran and Landonn Daffinson to put the team ahead 5-0.

The Pirates made the game interesting with three runs in the top of the sixth, but the Wildcats responded with three of their own in the bottom half of the inning. B-T got an RBI single from Elissa Smetana and an RBI double from Kayli Benedict. 

B-T had nine hits in the game, two by Beck while seven other players all had one.

Aleckson was in control in the circle, striking out 11 while holding the Pirates to four hits and two walks. 

B-T 15 ECIL 5

The Wildcats broke the game open with eight runs in the fifth inning.

The Lancers scored two runs in the top of the fifth to pull within one, but it was all B-T from there. 

A walk and an error brought one run home before Emma Wathke singled in another to put B-T ahead, 8-5. Two scored on a single by Beck and four more runs scored on two separate errors as the Wildcats went ahead 14-5.

Beck ended the game by rule with a double in the sixth that put the Wildcats ahead by 10 runs.

The teams went back and forth early in the game. The Lancers scored two in the top of the first, but B-T matched them in the bottom. ECIL regained the lead with a run in the second, but B-T scored two in the third and two more in the fourth to go ahead 6-3. 

Frederixon had three hits to lead B-T at the plate while Beck, Aleckson, Smetana and Wathke all had two hits. Aleckson had four RBIs and Beck batted in three. 

Aleckson got the win in the circle, striking out 10 while allowing three hits and four walks. 

A-B 9 B-T 5

It was too little too late as a three-run seventh inning wasn’t enough for B-T.

B-T scored first with a run in the top of the first, but A-B responded with two in the bottom half. The Eagles added three in the fourth. B-T scored one in the sixth, but A-B answered with four in the bottom half of that inning to take a 9-2 lead.

Frederixon and Beck both had three hits for B-T, and Beck finished with two RBIs. Avery Peterson also had two RBIs in the game.

Aleckson struck out two while allowing nine hits and seven walks.

Marshall 10 B-T 4

The Cardinals scored nine runs in its final two at-bats to get the win.

B-T was in a good position after scoring two runs in the top of the fifth to take a 4-1 lead. Marshall took its first lead of the game with five runs in the bottom of the fifth then added four more in the sixth.

Kayli Benedict took the loss for B-T after replacing Aleckson in the third inning. Benedict allowed five hits and two walks while striking out four. Aleckson struck out two while allowing three hits and no walks in two innings. Both gave up four earned runs.

Beck had two of B-T’s six hits and also batted in two runs. Andrea Waldera also had two RBIs.