B-T softball team splits four games

The Blair-Taylor softball team began and ended last week with losses, winning two games in between.

The Wildcats struggled early in a 7-1 loss to Prescott last Monday. The team had no issues in the next two games, thumping Alma/Pepin, 15-0, on Tuesday before besting Alma Center Lincoln, 10-0, on Thursday. Friday was a different story as Augusta scored in the bottom of the eighth for a 4-3 win.

B-T (4-2, 3-1) was set to play a nonconference game against Loyal on Monday before heading to Osseo-Fairchild on Tuesday and Cochrane-Fountain City on Thursday. The team returns home to play Eleva-Strum on Friday. This coming Tuesday, B-T hosts Alma Center Lincoln before heading to G-E-T next Thursday. 

Prescott 7 B-T 1

The Cardinals scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning and the Wildcats couldn’t respond.

B-T scored first as Andi Beck drove a run home on a groundout in the top of the first inning. Prescott answered with five runs on just one hit in the bottom half of the inning. The first run scored on an error before another came home on a single and three were plated on another error. 

The Cardinals added two more runs in the bottom of the second and neither team scored in the final five innings.

Andrea Aleckson took the loss for B-T, striking out five while allowing seven walks and nine hits. Five of Prescott’s runs were unearned as B-T committed two costly errors in the first inning.

The Wildcats had six hits in the game, two by Emma Wathke. 

B-T 15 Alma/Pepin 0

Aleckson pitched a perfect game, striking out 10 Eagle batters and not allowing a single baserunner. 

The Wildcats got going offensively early and the game ended by the mercy rule after four innings. 

An RBI double by Beck put B-T ahead 1-0 before two more runs scored on an error in the first inning. The Wildcats added six runs on six hits in the second and Elissa Smetana hit an RBI single in the third that made the score 10-0.

The Wildcats ended the game in the fourth, scoring five runs with two outs. Alyssa Tubbs got the scoring started with an RBI single, then Smetana plated two runs on another single. Aleckson singled one home then Addison Lejcher ended the game by mercy rule when she drove home a run.

Despite the game being just four innings, the Wildcats managed 15 hits. Aleckson and Smetana both had three hits, while Avery Peterson, Beck, Kayli Benedict, and Tubbs all had two. Smetana had four RBIs; Aleckson, three, both Beck and Tubbs batted in two, and both Peterson and Lejcher had one. 

B-T 10 AC Lincoln 0

For the second straight game, the Wildcats took a big lead early and shut down the opponent.

B-T took the lead when Avery Peterson tripled to start the game and later stole home. Aleckson brought home two runs with a single later in the inning to put B-T ahead 3-0.

Andi Beck hit a two-run single in the second before Peterson, Landonn Daffinson and Beck had consecutive RBI hits in the third to put B-T ahead 8-0. The Wildcats added runs on groundouts in the fourth and fifth innings.

Aleckson wasn’t quite perfect again, but she still managed a shutout, striking out 13 batters while allowing just one hit and two walks. 

B-T had 11 hits as Peterson, Beck, and Benedict all had three. Beck batted in three runs and Aleckson had two RBIs. 

Augusta 4 B-T 3

The Wildcats scored two runs to force extra innings, but the Beavers got a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the eighth.

Augusta scored two runs on two hits and an error to take a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. B-T answered with one in the fifth when Beck doubled and scored on an error. Beck singled to tie the game in the sixth and that’s where the score stood until the end of regulation.

B-T went down in order in the seventh and eighth innings as Augusta stepped to the plate with the score still tied in the bottom of the eighth. After a one-out single got a runner on base, Aleckson struck out the next batter for the second out. The next batter lifted a single into right field, bringing in the winning run.

Aleckson struck out four without a walk while allowing seven hits in the losing effort.

Beck was 4-for-4 at the plate and Kayli Benedict had two hits as the Wildcats finished with eight.