Despite giving up a grand-slam home run in the final inning, Littlefork-Big Falls’ softball team built up a big enough lead beforehand to open the Section 7A Tournament at home Tuesday with a victory.
The Vikings, seeded No. 1 in the North Sub-Section, led by 8 runs after three innings and held on to defeat No. 8-seeded Chisholm, 10-7.
“It was a good game to start out with,” said L-BF head coach Mike Imhof. “We came out well, but then we kind of fell flat in the middle innings and let them right back in the game. They got closer than we wanted there at the end.”
Chisholm took a 1-0 lead in the opening inning. Leadoff batter Tori Anderson got on base with a walk off of L-BF pitcher Courtney Pfeifer and then advanced to third when Angela Schultz reached base on an error. A double-steal attempt brought Anderson home as Schultz was tagged out at second.
The Vikings’ entire lineup batted when they responded with 4 runs off of Chisholm pitcher Toria Marturano in the bottom of the first.
Pfeifer, Brooke Millerbernd and Paige DeLack began the batting order with consecutive hits and also scored. DyAna Imhof made L-BF’s fourth run of the inning possible when she reached base after Schultz couldn’t hold onto the pitch behind the plate for the third strike.
Pfeifer, Millerbernd and DeLack provided more of the same in the second inning when they each recorded a hit and scored with DeLack registering a triple and scoring on a wild pitch to give the Vikings a 7-1 lead.
DeLack and Cassy Hawkinson returned to L-BF’s lineup for the playoffs after having been off the team since earlier this month. While Hawkinson returned behind the plate to catch, DeLack played in the outfield rather than returning at shortstop where Emily Knaeble is now starting.
“Cassy did a good job catching, and Paige out in center field was fine,” Imhof said. “Defensively, we’re pretty rock solid right now.”
L-BF added two more runs in the third on 3 hits when Claire Simon and Knaeble both singled and scored and Millerbernd recorded her third hit of the game.
After Chisholm tallied 2 runs in the top of the fifth, Knaeble scored the Vikings’ final run in the bottom of the inning when she tripled and then reached home on a wild pitch.
The Bluestreaks saved their best for last at the plate in the top of the seventh when Marturano, who had flied out to deep left field in the fourth inning, hit a two-out, grand-slam home run over the fence in center field to pull Chisholm within 3 runs.
But Pfeifer wouldn’t let the Bluestreaks score anymore as she struck out Sidney Ketelboeter to end the game. Pfeifer ended up with 10 strikeouts.
“Anything can happens in playoffs,” Imhof said. “Hats off (to Chisholm). They played well.”
The Vikings advance to the next round of the Section 7A Tournament at Cloquet, where they will play at 3 p.m. Thursday against the South Sub-Section’s No. 4 seed, Carlton, the team that eliminated L-BF in the playoffs last season.
“We know that Carlton is very tough,” Imhof said. “We just have to come ready to play and have no mental lapses, and I think we’ll be fine.”
L-BF 10, Chisholm 7
Chis. 1-0-0 0-2-0 4 — 7
L-BF 4-3-2 0-1-0 X — 10
WP—Courtney Pfeifer;
LP—Toria Marturano
