LRSC softball goes 1-2 against Dakota County Technical College

Article by Chuck Wickenhofer, Devils Lake Journal Sports, published April 4th, 2016.

During a cold and windy weekend for softball, the Lake Region State College Royals managed one win in three games against the Dakota County Technical College Blue Knights. 

The Blue Knights never trailed in game one, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a two-run homer off of Royals pitcher Hanna Gary, who was able to work out of the inning after the first three Blue Knights reached base. 

The Royals were able to avoid further damage in the top of the third after a one-out double put runners on second and third for the Blue Knights. Cheyenne Gurley snagged a sharp grounder, spun, tagged the runner from second then fired a seed to first base to turn an inning ending double play.

After an RBI double put the Royals on the board in the bottom of the third, they were able to score again in the fourth on an RBI single to tie it up 2-2. 

That was as close as the Royals would get, as a single and a two-run blast put the Blue Knights up for good, 4-2. The Royals were held scoreless throughout the rest of the contest, losing 7-2.

Gary took the loss for the Royals, dropping to 1-6 on the season. Gary picked up two hits on three official at-bats, while Emma Gary also went two for three with a run scored. 

Game two was a different story, as the Royals scored five runs in the first inning, including home runs by Emma Gary and Courtney Fines, as well as a bases-clearing double by catcher Jade Ledochowski. Pitcher Mackenzie Sansom, who also added a homer, took a shutout into the final frame before giving up two-run homer with two outs in the inning as LRSC won 10-2.

LRSC head coach Kory Boehmer gave credit to his team's resilience in the second game. 

"We always play hard," Boehmer said. "You don't give up after the first game; that's what this conference is going to be like. We're going to have ups and downs."

Sansom got the win to improve to 3-3 on the season. First baseman Jamie Shaw had two hits on two official at-bats, scored two runs and drove in one. Fines, Sansom, and Ledochowski had two RBIs each.

The Royals got off to a quick start once again in the third game Sunday while taking on the role of the visiting team. The top of the first resulted in three runs, two of which came with two outs. However, the Blue Knights were able to tie it up in the bottom half of the frame after loading the bases with no outs. 

After a quiet top of the second for the Royals, the Blue Knights put three additional runs on the board on a two-run homer and an RBI double, all with two outs. The Blue Knights added another run in the third on an RBI single to go up 7-3.

The Royals were able to pull within one in the top half of the fourth after collecting three straight hits. An RBI single and a groundout accounted for two more runs and the Royals were back in the game, 7-6.

A leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning gave the Blue Knights a two-run cushion, 8-6. That would be the last of the scoring until the top half of the 7th, as both teams' bats quieted. 

The last inning started off without much promise for the Royals with a strikeout and an easy fly ball. 

Then a single, another single and a wild pitch got the Royals to within one. However, the rally ended on another fly ball to the outfield that ended the game for the Royals, who lost 8-7.

Alaina McKinnon gave up five earned runs in three innings in the loss, while Hanna Gary gave up one hit and notched two strikeouts in three innings of relief work. Kiahna Chumola had a productive day at the plate, going two for four while knocking in three runs, though her throwing error led to a Blue Knights tally. Mackenzie Sansom and Jade Ledochowski each had two hits.

The fourth game was called due to weather. 

The Royals have another doubleheader coming up against Bismarck State College Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Go Royals!