By John George
Perham softball head coach Pam Young commented that shes never had a team take so long to come together. Shes just glad they finally did.
The Jackets appear to be playing their best ball of the spring as the regular season winds down. They earned another split on Tuesday at Pequot Lakes as they have now won three of their past five games after starting the season 2-11.
As has been the case in many of their losses, one bad inning ruins what may otherwise be a good game. The same was true in the 4-2 loss in game one at Pequot Lakes. The Patriots scored all four runs in the fourth inning.
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Perham scored single runs in the sixth on a RBI single by Lauri Sczygiel and in the seventh on a RBI by Amanda Snyder.
The Jackets jumped out early in game two, scoring twice in the first and three more times in the second.
Having scored twice themselves in the first, Pequot Lakes tied the game with a three-run sixth. But as they have in other wins this week, Perham rallied late, scoring in the top of the seventh on a single by Mallory Malikowski, scoring Sczygiel for the game winner.
Brandi Cresap was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored in the win. Sczygiel was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Kayla Speicher and Malikowski each had one RBI.
Ranger split
A two-run rally in the bottom of the seventh snapped a three-game slide as Perham came-from-behind to beat Crosby-Ironton, 8-7, in the first game of a doubleheader last Friday.
Trailing 7-6 going into the seventh, Sarah Werner led-off with a single, and quickly scored the tying run on a triple by Mallory Malikowski. After two more batters reached, Brandi Cresap stepped to the plate and delivered a game-winning single, scoring Malikowski at rain-soaked Arvig Park.
Crosby-Ironton scored all seven of their runs in the second inning. Perham scored their first run in the bottom of the second on a RBI single by Cresap, scoring Malikowski.
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The Jackets brought four more runs across in the third on a RBI double by Alyssa Stafki and a three-run homer by Malikowski. Cresap scored in the sixth, making the score 7-6.
Lauri Sczygiel picked up her second win of the season by shuting out the Rangers after their seven-run outburst in the second.
The two teams took the field for game two, despite a steady rain. Perham stayed hot, scoring eight runs in the bottom of the first. But C-I answered, scoring seven in the top of the second as they took advantage of four Perham errors in the innings.
Sloppy play in the field seemed to only affect the home team, as Perham committed 11 errors in the rain-shortened five inning game as C-I earned the split with an 11-8 win. The Rangers committed just one error in the rain.
C-I took the lead with a three-run third. They added one more in the fifth before the game was called.
Sczygiel took the loss, but she did drive in three runs with a first inning homer. Cresap was 2-for-4 to lead Perham.
Jackets upset Frazee
Perham pounded out 17 hits and put together a six-run fourth inning to upset Frazee in the Annual Battle of the Bees Monday in Frazee.
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We really needed something like this, head coach Pam Young said. They went out and earned it against a very good team.
The Hornets took advantage of three walks in the bottom of the first to take a 4-0 lead. After a single Perham run in the second, Frazee opened up the game with a three-run third, giving them a 7-1 lead.
In the fourth, Alyssa Stafki and Sarah Werner both singled, then scored on a single by Steph Weiczorek. Brandi Cresap kept the inning going by driving in Amanda Snyder. Weiczorek and Cresap then scored on a double by Kayla Speicher and Dani Stoll finished off the rally with a RBI single, scoring Speicher to tie the game.
Perham took the lead in the sixth as Lauri Sczygiel drove in Cresap with what proved to be the game-winning run.
We played a solid all-around game, Young said. Hopefully this will help get us over the hump for next week.
The Jackets will finish the regular season today (May 18) by hosting Moorhead (5-12) at Arvig Park.
The first round of 8AA playoffs will begin May 23. Frazee, Warroad, D-G-F and Bagley have the inside tracks to be top seeds in their respective sub-sections.
Softball
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Friday, May 12
Perham 8, Crosby-Ironton 7 (game 1)
R- H- E
C-I 0-7-0-0-0-0-0-- 7- 7- 3
Perham 0-1-4-0-0-1-2-- 8-16-3
Jackets--Brandi Cresap 4-5, 2B, 2 RBI; Kayla Speicher 1-4; Dani Stoll 1-4; Lauri Sczygiel 2-3, BB, 3B, R; Alyssa Stafki 1-4, 2B, R, RBI; Sarah Werner 1-3, HBP, 2 R; Mallory Malikowski 3-4, 3B, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI; Amanda Snyder 1-4; Steph Wieczorek 2-4.
Pitching IP R H SO BB
Sczygiel (2-2) 7 7 7 5 6
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Crosby-Ironton 11, Perham 8 (game 2)
R- H- E
C-I 0-7-3-0-1--11- 8- 1
Perham 8-0-0-0-0-- 8- 7-11
Jackets--Cresap 2-4, R; Speicher 0-1, 2 BB, R; Stoll 1-2, BB, 2B, R, 2 RBI; Sczygiel 0-3, HR, 3 RBI; Stafki 1-3; Werner 1-3, R; Malikowski 1-3, R; Snyder 0-2, BB, R; Wieczorek 1-3, R, 2 RBI.
Pitching IP R H SO BB
Sczygiel (2-3) 5 11 8 5 6
Monday, May 15
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Perham 8, Frazee 7
R- H- E
Perham 0-1-0-6-0-1-0-- 8-17- 2
Frazee 4-0-3-0-0-0-0-- 7- 8- 3
Jackets--Cresap 3-5, 2 R, RBI; Speicher 2-4, BB, R, 2 RBI; Stoll 2-5, RBI; Sczygiel 1-4, RBI; Stafki 3-4, 2 R; Werner 2-3, BB, 2B, R; Malikowski 1-4; Snyder 1-4, R; Weiczorek 2-3, Sac, R, 2 RBI.
Pitching IP R H SO BB
Malikowski (1-4) 7 7 8 2 6
Tuesday, May 16
Pequot Lakes 4, Perham 2 (game 1)
R- H- E
Perham 0-0-0-0-0-1-1-- 2- 6- 2
Pequot Lakes 0-0-0-4-0-0-x-- 4- 6- 0
Jackets--Speicher 0-3, BB; Stoll 1-3, BB, SB, R; Sczygiel 2-4, 2B, RBI; Stafki 1-3; Malikowski 1-2, BB, R; Snyder 0-2, BB, RBI; Weiczorek 1-2, Sac.
Pitching IP R H SO BB
Malikowski (1-5) 6 4 6 3 3
Perham 6, Pequot Lakes 5 (game 2)
R- H- E
Perham 2-3-0-0-0-0-1-- 6- 8- 1
Pequot Lakes 2-0-0-0-0-3-0-- 5-10-0
Jackets--Cresap 3-5, SB, 2 2B, 2 R; Speicher 1-4, R, RBI; Stoll 0-3, BB; Sczygiel 2-4, 2B, R, RBI; Stafki 0-2, BB, HBP; Werner 1-3, BB; Malikowski 0-3, BB, HBP, R, RBI; Snyder 0-3, BB; Weiczorek 1-3, BB, R.
Pitching IP R H SO BB
Sczygiel (3-3) 7 5 10 9 2
Next:
5/18 Moorhead (H) 4:30 pm
5/23 8AA Playoffs TBD
Mid-State Conf All
Staples-Motley 10-1 11-2
Detroit Lakes 8-2 9-7
W-DC 6-2 8-4
Pequot Lakes 6-4 9-8
Perham 3-8 5-13
Park Rapids 2-10 4-13
Crosby-Ironton 2-10 5-14
