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Ashley Neuenfeldt gives Bloomington Jefferson a pitching and hitting boost

By Star Tribune, 05/13/17, 5:25PM CDT

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The senior has carved out space for herself on the rubber with some effective spot starts and relief efforts

There were high expectations for the Bloomington Jefferson softball team this season. The Jaguars had an enviable battery of pitcher Hailey Martinez and catcher Anne Miller and a top-flight batting order.

With the regular season winding down, the Jaguars look to be in even better position for the upcoming postseason — and be able to live up to those expectations — with the emergence of pitcher Ashley Neuenfeldt.

The senior has carved out space for herself on the rubber with some effective spot starts and relief efforts in the second half of the season. She pitched back-to-back shutouts on May 5 and 6: a no-hitter in a 4-0 victory over St. Louis Park and a two-hitter in a 2-0 whitewashing of Maple Grove. Through Tuesday, Neuenfeldt hadn’t given up a run in her previous four appearances and had posted a 3-1 record with a 0.49 ERA and 39 strikeouts.

Her pitching success has carried over to the plate. She hit .500 (8-for-16) in the six-game stretch leading up to Wednesday’s rematch with the No. 1 team in Class 4A, Chanhassen.

Sigel advances

Minnetonka senior Ben Sigel, the state’s No. 1-ranked boys golfer in Class 3A, shot a 4-under-par 68 Tuesday at a U.S. Open local qualifier at Mendakota Country Club to advance to sectional qualifying on May 22.

“I’ve been hitting the ball really well the last couple weeks and my game has been pretty consistent,” Sigel told Nick Hunter of MNGolf.org, the website of the Minnesota Golf Association (MGA). “I knew if I hit fairways [Tuesday] that I would be in a good spot. I came in expecting to make it.”

Jim Paulsen

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