Swinging in the rain

MINSTER - Through six Midwest Athletic Conference softball games, Marion Local and Minster had yet to taste defeat. It set up a conference decider Friday night in Minster, and the Wildcats fought through the spitting rain en route to a 10-0, six-inning win over the Flyers to clinch the MAC title.

It is the program's seventh title overall, and its sixth in the last eight years, with the last coming in 2024.

"They've worked so hard for this," said Minster coach Kenleigh Ludlow of her team, which finished the regular season at 15-8 overall with a 7-0 record in the MAC. "We were figuring things out at the beginning of the season, and I think nobody expected us to be here, but the players expected it. I'm really proud of them."

Brianna Osterloh got the start for the Wildcats and opened her day with three strikeouts in a scoreless first inning. Her team's bats then came to life in the bottom of the second against Flyers' ace Haley Everman.

"We went in beast mode, ready to go and take any advantage we could, and the girls did a great job getting the pitches that they wanted," Ludlow said of her team's offense.

Lucy Schmiesing got the rally going with a leadoff single, and used a wild pitch to get to second. After a walk put two on, Sophie Homan moved the runners into scoring position with a good bunt down the first base line.

It gave Carolina Knapke a chance to grab the lead. She delivered with a single to left that cut through the rain and it was 2-0 Wildcats. Reese Albers added one more on her grounder that scored Knapke to make it 3-0.

While Osterloh continued to dominate on the mound, the Wildcat bats came through again in the fourth. Knapke's ground ball single started the frame, one where all nine players came to the dish.

Albers delivered her second RBI with a double that found the right-center field gap to score Knapke and make it 4-0. Alivia Heckman kept the inning alive with a two-out, two-run double that scored both Albers and Ansley Wolf.

Two batters later it was Alayna Bergman's turn to drive in a run. She powered a ball that found the left field gap and brought two more runs in. Leading 8-0, Minster just needed two more to get the game done.

Marion went to the bullpen in the fifth as Avery Bruns entered the circle. She pitched a scoreless fifth to keep the game going, but Minster's approach meant it was only a matter of time.

A double from Wolf led off the sixth inning, while Lauren Taylor's walk quickly put two on. Heckman's single up the middle scored Wolf, and the bases were eventually loaded after a single from Schmiesing.

  Bergman worked a full count with the winning run at third. Bruns' next pitch was outside and Tyler crossed the plate to begin the party. It not only secured the win and a trophy, but it also gave the Flyers their first shutout loss since April 13, against Shawnee (a 6-0 game).

Osterloh got the win after her six innings of two-hit ball, and finished with eight strikeouts. Heckman and Bergman led the bats with three RBI each.

"She's come such a long way from the beginning of the season to now and she works hard," Ludlow said of Osterloh. "Her and Sophie (Homan) have been working together all season long, figuring out different combinations and they have done a great job."

Everman took the loss for Marion, as she finished four innings and gave up eight runs with four walks and three strikeouts.

While the celebrations are well earned for the Wildcats, Marion will get its chance at revenge when the two teams meet again on May 12 in the Division VI playoffs in Maria Stein.

"We get to play at our house next week," Marion coach McLean Correll said. "The way these two teams are built, it could be the opposite next time or it could be tied through seven innings. They are both really good teams."