Stueber picks up first win

By JEN SEAVEY

Journal Sports Editor

NEW ULM -- Whether it was 13-3 in five innings or 12-3 in seven innings, the Cathedral softball team beat McLeod West in a Tomahawk Conference game Thursday.

A discrepancy in the books led to a decision by the umpire to continue the game after the fifth inning; no runs were scored in the sixth and seventh innings after the Falcons got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth.

The Cathedral defense, with backups in the last two innings, made some solid plays to hold the Falcons to their three runs, including a diving catch by Kyley Hillesheim in the fifth, a pickoff at third by Stadick, a nice play by Liz Prunty at third, and a double play from Jenna Schugel to end the game.

"We had some great plays -- Kyley in center -- [Nikki] Fischer's line shot -- Liz' throw to first," Mertz said.

"I think we did well," Hillesheim said. "At times [early on], it was rough, but we shook it off."

Sophomore Katie Stueber felt she had to shake off a few things as well, even though she picked up her first varsity win, pitching a full game, giving up five hits, three walks and striking out five. But she also hit three batters.

"It was my first game, so I was a little nervous," Stueber said. "I've got some work to do -- the location of pitches, I have to work on."

The first inning, Cathedral scored three with the help of an RBI triple from Julie Seifert. Seifert was 2-for-3 with two triples and two RBI.

In the second inning, the Falcons Kim Egge scored when Kim Plamann was thrown out at first, then Sabrina Kosek scored after a throw from Melissa Kraus overshot third base to make it a close ballgame -- for a bit.

The Greyhounds scored five as they batted through the lineup, pulling ahead 8-2. Cathedral played successful small ball to move the batters around and got a big shot from Kirsten Prunty when she hit a triple deep to the gap in center field.

Kirsten Prunty had also gotten a two-RBI double in the first inning.

"I think our defense played well; they [Cathedral] hit the gaps," McLeod West coach John Heitz said. "They hit the ball that landed on the line in the first. If it were over a few inches, it would have been a foul ball instead of two runs."

In the fourth inning, the Greyhounds put three more runs on the board when Nikki Fischer and Seifert hit back-to-back triples to center field.

Egge drove in a run with a sac fly to center in the fifth to score Laura Loncorich, then the Greyhounds scored two more in the fifth to get to the final 13-3.

Britt Ribar took the loss for the Falcons (2-3, 1-3), giving up nine walks and 11 hits.

The Falcons host Minnesota Valley Lutheran at Brownton Monday. The Greyhounds (4-0) host Sleepy Eye St. Mary's Monday.