MW SOFTBALL: Lady Jays drop two to Cyclones

WORTHINGTON — After sweeping Fergus Falls on Friday, the Minnesota West softball team couldn’t keep its luck going in Saturday’s doubleheader against St. Cloud Tech.

The Lady Jays dropped their record to 7-12 after losing to the Cyclones 11-7 and 6-2.

After playing in what the coaches said were the Lady Jays’ best games of the entire season Friday, the losses Saturday came with some disappointment.

“These games were very disappointing,” MW coach Rosalie Hayenga-Hostikka said. “I know we can play better than that and I just don’t really have too many good things to say about that performance.”

Three bad innings was what lost the first game for Minnesota West.

With Erin Ebbers on the mound, St. Cloud Tech managed to string together a three-run third inning, a three-run sixth inning and a four-run seventh inning.

Ebbers finished the game with two strikeouts, 10 walks and gave up 11 hits.

“She struggled with her control again, which has seemed to be an issue all year,” Hayenga-Hostikka said. “St. Cloud saw she was struggling and took advantage of her just like any team should do. You can’t give your batters anything and she put a runner on base each inning she was out there. That’s really frustrating.”

Offensively in the first game Minnesota West had nine hits.

Alayna Hall was 2-for-4 with a run scored and a triple, Katherine Kazemba was 1-for-3 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored, Steph Behrens was 3-for-3 with a walk, a triple, a double and three runs scored and Alyson Drooger had a two RBI-triple.

Every member of the St. Cloud Tech lineup reached base at least twice during the first game alone.

The second game didn’t go much better for the Lady Jays.

Kazemba tossed that game for Minnesota West. She pitched a complete game, walking five, striking out two and giving up six hits.

Unfortunately for Kazemba, most of the trouble she faced was in the fifth inning. She gave up all six of the Cyclones’ runs during the one inning.

“Kat really did have a good game despite the outcome,” Hayenga-Hostikka said. “We just weren’t there offensively to back her up. We struggled at the plate and I’m not sure why that is. We made silly base-running mistakes and just didn’t do what we needed to do to score runs.”

The two runs Minnesota West scored in the second game came on a steal of home by Behrens in the second inning and an RBI-single from Drooger in the fourth.

The home team finished the nightcap with seven hits.

Kazemba was 1-for-3 with a double, Cheyenne Platz was 1-for-3 with a run scored, Behrens was 1-for-3 with a triple and a run scored and Drooger was 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.

“Overall, I’d say Steph did a good job between the two games,” Hayenga-Hostikka said. “She was probably the one bright spot at the plate for us today.”

Minnesota West will have a chance to redeem itself Tuesday when the team travels to play Rochester. The last time the two teams played, they split the doubleheader — Minnesota West winning one game 12-6 and losing the other 14-6.

The only thing the Lady Jays are hoping for right now is that they don’t have a repeat of Saturday’s performance again later this week.

“There are no excuses for how we played today,” Hayenga-Hostikka said. “We made little mistakes, most of them mental. At this point in the season there is no reason why we should be playing like that.”

Game 1 R H E

SCT 103 003 4 — 11 11 2

MW 020 102 2 — 7 6 2

Game 2 R H E

SCT 000 060 0 — 6 6 1

MW 010 100 0 — 2 7 2

Daily Globe Sports Reporter Jocelyn Syrstad can be reached at 376-7335.

Tags: minnesota west sports, sports, softball