NEW RICHLAND — The bottom of the sixth inning was a game changer for the NRHEG softball team.

Until that point, Albert Lea’s Haley Harms pitched a no-hitter, the Tigers maintained a two-run lead and the Panthers went down in order three consecutive innings.

However, NRHEG scored four runs on five hits in the sixth and held off a rally by Albert Lea in the top of the seventh to slip past the Tigers 4-3 Wednesday in the Subsection 2AA South semifinals.

“Once they got their bats going, it was nice to see them string some hits together,” said NRHEG head coach Wendy Schultz. “It was a great team win by everyone involved.”

For Albert Lea, it was an emotional defeat.

“This was a real heartbreaker,” said Albert Lea coach Dan Harms. “We just didn’t capitalize when we had runners in scoring position.”

The Tigers ended three innings with two runners in scoring position. They stranded runners on first and second base in the first inning and second and third in the second and seventh innings.

NRHEG pitcher Jade Schultz was able to get out of those jams by retiring nine batters. She faced 31 batters, allowed six hits, two walks and one earned run.

Albert Lea’s Harms faced 23 batters and retired two. She gave up five hits and no free passes.

“We finally started swinging the bats. I think we thought we were going to get walked like when we played Blue Earth,” Schultz said. “We just learned that if we swung, we’d get hits and we could score.”

In the top of the first, the Tigers scored the opening run of the game when Taylor Thompson made it to first base on a fielder’s choice to score Megan Kortan. A hit by Kortan in the second inning scored Caycee Gilbertson and gave Albert Lea a 2-0 lead.

Neither team scored from the bottom of the second to the top of the sixth.

In the bottom of the sixth, NRHEG’s Kelli Harrington hit a lead-off single. Freshman infielder Rachel Collins pinch hit and advanced Harrington to second with a single. Hannah Lundberg followed with a two-RBI double that erased the Panthers’ deficit. The Tigers were still looking for their first out. After a bunt by Anna Stork that died a few feet in front of the batter’s box, Kortan gave Albert Lea its first out of the inning by fielding a grounder at shortstop and slinging it to first base.

“That was a nice play,” said coach Harms. “She has good range, and that’s why she’s at shortstop.”

With one out, Lundberg on third and Stork on first, Schultz hit the Panthers’ second two-RBI double of the inning.

“It was fitting that our only two seniors on the team drove in all four runs,” coach Schultz said.

Albert Lea rallied in the top of the seventh with one out. After a single by Harms, she advanced to third on a grounder to right field by Thompson. Underdahl stepped up with her first hit of the game to score Harms. However, Thompson and Underdahl were stranded on second and third because Schultz retired the next two Albert Lea batters.

 

What’s next?

The Tigers (10-12 overall, 8-9 Big Nine Conference) will play in the Section 2AA consolation quarterfinals at noon Saturday against Tri-City United at Caswell Park in Mankato. Albert Lea will need to fight through three games in the consolation bracket to earn a spot in the section finals. No. 6-seed Tri-City United (6-10 overall, 4-9 Minnesota River Conference) is coming off a 10-5 loss at No. 2-seed Maple River Thursday in the subsection semifinals.

“We can storm back through the consolation bracket if we hit like we’re capable of,” coach Harms said. “We’re in the same situation as last year.”

Last season, the Tigers beat Austin 8-0, lost at Rochester John Marshall 9-1 and rebounded with a 4-2 win against Northfield.

NRHEG (14-6 overall, 9-1 Gopher Conference), the No. 1 seed, will play No. 2-seed Maple River (13-7 overall, 6-3 Gopher Conference) at noon Saturday in the Subsection 2AA South finals. When the teams met on May 9, NRHEG won 3-0.

Statistics are in the Scoreboard: May 22 post.