Softball Opens up MonDak Play at Williston and Dawson

The Lake Region State College softball team took to the road for a 6 game excursion starting in Williston, ND and ended up in Glendive MT. The games were the first outside and the first Mon-Dak Conference games. In the first 2 games, vs. Williston State College, the Royals dropped both by the scores of 7-8 and 2-7. In game 1, Madison Foss started the pitching duties pitching 4 innings, giving up 4 runs off of 6 hits, 3 of the runs were earned. Williston took the early lead but the Royals tied the score at 3 in third when Krista Waldo grounded out scoring Precious Rawlins. Amber Stewart provided a spark by doubling in Gina Selfe in the second inning then blasting a 3 run homerun in the 5^th. Gina also doubled in Cherie Malacas in the 5^th inning for a 4 run outburst. The Tetons from Williston State College responded scoring 2 runs off of relief pitcher Gina Selfe to cut the lead to 2, 6 to 4. Then in the 6^th inning, the Royals again scored another run after Zoe Willis-Wildman singled, Rawlins sacrificed bunted, then Sadie Schilling singled giving the Royals a 3 run lead heading into the bottom of the 6^th. The Tetons responded again scoring 4 runs in the bottom of the inning giving them a 1 run lead. Williston's pitcher, Rebekah Salgado, closed the door on the Royals in the 7^th inning for the win. It was the first Mon-Dak Conference loss for the Royals.

In game 2, the Royals scored in the first inning when Tai Yamamoto doubled off the left field wall scoring Cherie Malacas only to have the Tetons tie the game in the bottom half of the inning. Starting pitcher, Amber Stewart, for the Royals struck out the first batter but a passed ball allowed the batter to get to first. This set the tone for the game which seemed to plaque the Royals throughout. Two errors in the first scored the tying run and in the second, the Tetons scored 4 on some timely and well placed hits intermingled with fielding errors by the Royals. The 6 of the 7 runs scored by the Tetons were earned. Stewart gave up 11 hits striking out 3. Tai Yamamoto supplied the runs for the Royals going 3 for 4 with 2 RBI's and 2 doubles. Alysha Moser also had 2 hits with Cherie Malacas and Sadie Schilling each with one off of sisters Rebekah and Sarah Salgado, who pitched for the Tetons.

April 21, 2018. The Royals continued on to Glendive MT to play more Mon-Dak Conference games against Dawson Community College (DCC). The Buccaneers from DCC won both of the games today by the scores of 6 to 1 and 5 to 0. Gina Selfe started for the Royals against Hailee Gregerson for the Bucs. The Royals only run came off of a solo homerun by Selfe in the second inning. The Royals were only able to get 2 hits off of Gregerson, the homerun and a single by Sadie Schilling. DCC scored 2 runs in the 3^rd, 3 runs in the 4^th, and 1 run in the 6^th off of well-placed slap bunts and timely hits. Selfe gave up the 6 runs off of 11 hits, 2 walks, and had 4 strikeouts.

In game 2, starting pitcher Amber Stewart got off to a great start and rolled through 4 innings only to have the wheels fall off in the 5^th. The Bucs were able to score 5 runs in a flurry in the inning that consisted of wild plays, mishaps, and a crushing homerun. Stewart hit the leadoff batter and with her on first the next batter squared to sacrifice bunt with 2 strikes. The batter missed the ball but it got passed the catcher. On the throw to first, the ball went to the outfield. Unfortunately, with a runner on first the batter is already out but the runner on first was able to get to third. The next batter squared and bunted to Stewart who caught the runner off of third, but in the rundown the ball was thrown away scoring the runner from third. The next runner reached on another error. With 2 outs, and 2 runners on, Reannon Justice blasted a line drive 3 run homer over the right center field fence giving the Buccaneers a 5 to 0 lead that they would not relinquish. For the game, Stewart gave up 5 runs but none were earned, 8 hits, no walks, and struck out 7 in the six innings she pitched. The Royals had 7 hits for the game but could not push any runs across. Krista Waldo had 2 hits. Amber Stewart, Tai Yamamoto, Gina Selfe, Zoe Willis-Wildman, and Kendra Karl each had one hit.

April 22, 2018. The Royals were able to salvage a split today losing the first game 6-9 but winning the second 2-1. In game 1, Gina Selfe started the pitching duties for the Royals. The Bucs got on the board right away scoring 2 runs off of no hits, but 2 walks, an error, a couple of passed balls, and a sacrifice fly. The Royals responded in the bottom half of the first tying the score after Cherie Malacas singled in Sadie Schilling and Zoe Willis-Wildman singled in Amber Stewart. There was potential for more runs but the Royals left the bases loaded in the inning. Dawson scored again in the second off of no hits but again, walks, a stolen base, and a sacrifice fly scored the run. More scoring by the Bucs in the 4^th where they got 3 more runs off of miscues, walks, and a sacrifice fly. With the score 6 to 2 in the 5^th, Selfe was relieved by Madison Foss who finished the game giving up 3 runs on 3 hits. The Royals made it interesting in the sixth inning scoring 2 after a single by Amber Stewart, walk to Tai Yamamoto, a single by Cherie Malacas to score Stewart, and a bases load walk to Alyssa Moser scoring Yamamoto. The seventh inning saw the Royals threatening sending 7 batters to the plate and scoring 2 more runs but left 2 more runners on the base paths. A homerun by Tai Yamamoto helped to spark the Royals in the seventh but they came up short in the end against the Buccaneers starting pitcher, Hailee Gregerson. In the game, the Royals had 11 hits to the Bucs 4.

In the second game, Amber Stewart had a masterful pitching performance for the Royals. The 2 to 1 win was hard fought against the strong Dawson team to win it first Mon-Dak conference victory. Stewart only allowed the 1 unearned run giving up just 2 singles, one of them an infield bunt. In the third inning, the Bucs scored their only run after an errant throw on a base stealing runner went all the way to the fence allowing the runner on first to run all the way home and score. The Royals, however, responded in the bottom half of the inning when the leadoff batter, Sadie Schilling, doubled, was bunted over to third on a sacrifice bunt by Krista Waldo, then after a hit by Tai Yamamoto. Yamamoto scored off of a single by Cherie Malacas giving the Royals a lead that Amber Stewart would not relinquish. In the final 4 innings, Stewart only faced 14 batters striking out 5, including the final 3 of the game. The Royals had 7 hits in the game, 2 hits each by Tai Yamamoto and Madison Foss, and one each by Cheri Malacas, Gina Selfe, and Sadie Schilling (a double). Foss also had a double.

For the 6 game series, Amber Stewart had an ERA of 2.21 facing 88 batters, giving up 21 hits and only 6 earned runs. She also had a homerun along with fellow teammates Tai Yamamoto and Gina Selfe. The Royals an now 1-5 in the Mon-Dak Conference with the remaining games coming up within the next week.

Go Royals!