The Hastings Raiders Softball team opened the season with a close loss at Tartan, falling 8-7. That meant the return home for their home opener had the ladies ready to right the ship. The Tuesday afternoon home opener had the Raiders treated like royalty with radio, TV, and the Journal on the scene plus an announcer. All of whom gave the ladies a big energy boost for the conference game against Mahtomedi. Hastings came out on top 6-1. Two days later on April 11, they travelled to take on Two Rivers, winning 4-3.
The game against Mahtomedi began as a pitcher's duel with Haley Strain for Hastings and Malia Erickson for Mahtomedi holding each other scoreless into the fifth inning. That is when the Raider bats came to life. Hastings scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Addie Seleski led off with a bloop single to left center. Emily Dembroski followed with a line drive nearly to the same spot as Seleski. Lauren Muhl dropped a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt to move the other two runners up a base. With one out, Lauren Jenkins hit a hard grounder to short, scoring Seleski. The shortstop misplayed the ball for the first error of the play, allowing Jenkins to reach first. The first baseman mishandled the throw from short, allowing Dembroski to score from third and Jenkins to advance to second.
Hastings had the 2-0 lead, and they were not done yet. Sienna McCoy and Haley Strain both walked, loading the bases. The Zephyrs changed pitchers and Hastings kept hitting. Kylie Evans hit a hard grounder to short and once again, the shortstop had an issue handling the ball. The hit scored Jenkins and moved McCoy to third. Lauren Meyer walked scoring the final run of the inning to give Hastings the 4-0 lead.
Mahtomedi scored one run in the sixth off a sacrifice fly, but Hastings added two of their own in the bottom of the sixth to go up 6-1 which is where the game ended.
Strain earned the win facing 26 batters, striking out three and walking one. Offensively, Seleski went 2-for-3 with two singles. Jenkins, Strain, Evans, and Meyer each had an RBI in the win.
The trip to Two Rivers proved to be another successful one for Hastings with the Raiders winning 4-3. Unfortunately, the details of the game were not made available by press time.
The two wins last week put the Raiders at 2-1 on the young season. They have three games this week with a game on Thursday, April 18 at home against Hill Murray. The first pitch of that game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Next week they have games on April 23, 25, and 29. All at home and all at 4:30 p.m. The opponents in order are South St. Paul, Simley, and Tartan.
A special thank you needs to go to the Raiders’ Rachel Notch for the pictures she took at the home opener. Notch stepped up to take the pictures so I could announce the game for the girls.
