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St. Agnes bats pummel Concordia to set up section championship

By Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine, 05/31/17, 8:15PM CDT

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The Aggies jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning, then cruised to an 11-5 victory over the Beacons.



St. Agnes catcher K'Lynn Lewis stands over Concordia Academy's Taylor Brunn as the umpire calls Brunn out in the bottom of the first inning. Brunn had tried to stretch a triple into an inside-the-park home run. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine

If only this were a best of three, then St. Agnes would be on its way to its first-ever state softball tournament.

St. Agnes beat Concordia Academy for the second time in three games this year with an 11-5 decision in a Class 2A, Section 4 tournament game at Northwestern University in Roseville on Wednesday. And still, the Aggies find Concordia Academy (14-10) standing in their way. The teams will play again on Thursday at 4 p.m. for the section championship and a berth in the state tournament.

“We beat them last year in this game by seven or eight runs (St. Agnes won 9-1) and then we lost (9-7) in the final,” St Agnes coach Dan Berthiaume said. “We know they are a very good team, and it’s always a battle.”

St. Agnes (15-10) took control of the game in the top of the first inning, scoring four runs on four hits and a Beacons error. Shortstop Bailey Larkin drove in two runs with a single and two more runs scored when pitcher Gemma Rossini’s shot up the middle glanced off shortstop Alyssa Moore’s glove.

"I think it's big playing with a lead," Berthiaume said. "You can stand to be more aggressive, you have a few more tools in your belt, you can take more chances. And from an emotional standpoint, you're playing with more confidence."

Whether the Aggies played with more confidence is uncertain, but they did make fewer mistakes and that made the difference in the game. The error in the first cost Concordia a pair of runs.

The Aggies' Lily Hafner scored an insurance run in the fifth when she alertly took home after Beacons catcher Gabrielle Nelsen lost a pitch that bounced off the plate. Concordia Academy put three runners on base in the fifth but failed to score.

Eighth-grade infielder Emma Brunn, one of the Beacons' best hitters, left the game after the fifth inning with a right leg injury. Her older sister, Taylor Brunn, said a lot of ice and a good night's rest should put Emma in a position to play Thursday. Emma, batting fourth, doubled and scored a run before leaving the game.

Whether Emma plays makes little difference to Berthiaume. "She's an awfully good hitter, a really good player," Berthiaume said. "But they have got a lot of good replacements. Their No. 9 hitter (center fielder Abby Miggler) had a no-doubt-about-it home run for them today. They've got some depth."

Larkin had two hits and scored twice for St. Agnes. Hafner had two singles and a triple.

The Beacons' Miggler slammed her home run over the left-field fence in the third inning.


Concordia Academy center fielder Abby Miggler celebrates a home run that cleared the left field fence. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine

First Report

If only this were a best of three, then St. Agnes would be on its way to its first-ever state softball tournament.

St. Agnes beat Concordia Academy for the second time in three games this year with an 11-5 decision in a Class 2A, Section 4 tournament game at Northwestern University in Roseville on Wednesday. And still, the Aggies find Concordia Academy (14-10) standing in their way. The teams will play again on Thursday at 4 p.m. for the section championship and a berth in the state tournament.

“We beat them last year in this game by seven or eight runs and then we lost in the final,” St. Agnes coach Dan Berthiaume said. “We know they are a very good team, and it’s always a battle.”

St. Agnes (15-10) took control of this game in the top of the first inning, scoring four runs on four hits and a Beacons error. Shortstop Bailey Larkin drove in two runs with a single and two more runs scored when pitcher Gemma Rossini’s shot up the middle glanced off shortstop Alyssa Moore’s glove.

Larkin had two hits and scored twice for St. Agnes. Outfielder Lily Hafner had two singles, a triple, and gave the Aggies an insurance run in the fifth inning when she alertly took home when Concordia Academy catcher Gabrielle Nelsen lost a pitch that bounced off the plate.

Center fielder Abby Miggler slammed a home run over the left field fence for the Beacons.


Mayer Lutheran pitcher Martina Saulsbury struck out nine batters and allowed just two hits. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine

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