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The Luverne High School softball team won three games in the past week to improve their season record to 13-6.
LHS beat Worthington at home 16-7 Tuesday, May 16, and took two games from Edgerton on the road 7-6, 9-6 Thursday, May 18.
Luverne will host Redwood Valley in Section 3AA play Saturday, May 27.
LHS 16, Worthington 7
The Cardinals softball team beat the Trojans 16-7 at home May 16 with a fifth-inning, eight-run rally.
Luverne started out slow, falling behind 6-3 in the third inning, giving up five runs in the first and committing several errors in the field.
The Cardinals tied the game in the fourth inning with help from a home run from sophomore Payton Behr that scored junior Anika Boll and freshman Allie Kracht.
In the fifth inning Luverne’s bats came alive with eight runs.
Behr doubled to center, scoring junior Tori Serie and Boll.
Junior Elizabeth Smidt drove in Kracht, and Behr reached second on a Worthington error at shortstop.
Smidt scored on a fly ball by sophomore Ella Reisdorfer who reached first on an error.
Reisdorfer scored on a passed ball error by the catcher.
Serie drove in two runs on a fly ball to center field, scoring sophomore Amira Cowell and senior Kaysie Lenz.
Luverne took a 15-7 lead after the fifth inning and added one more run in the sixth.
Junior Gracie Nath relieved Cowell in the first inning and pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and two runs and striking out 13 batters.
She also threw a total of 123 pitches in the game with 78 strikes. She faced 31 batters.
“We had a rough start to the Worthington game, but Gracie Nath came in and pitched well and we strung together some good at bats,” head coach Brooks Maurer said.
“Behr and Serie were really good offensively. Tori with three doubles and Payton only a single away from hitting for the cycle.”
BOX Score
WRTH 5 0 1 1 0 0 0 7
LHS 0 2 1 4 8 1 x 16
BATTING
Luverne AB R H RBI
Behr 5 3 3 5
Smidt 5 1 0 3
Olson 4 0 1 0
Reisdorfer 5 2 1 0
Cowell 5 2 1 0
Franken 2 0 0 0
Lenz 2 1 1 0
Serie 4 3 4 3
Boll 3 2 2 2
Kracht 3 2 1 0
2B: Serie 3, Behr, Kracht
3B: Behr
HR: Behr
Total bases: Behr 9, Serie 7, Kracht 2, Boll 2, Cowell, Lenz, Olson, Reisdoefer
SB: Cowell
PITCHING
Luverne IP H R ER SO
Cowell .3 5 5 5 0
Nath 6.3 5 2 1 13
Pitches-Strikes: Cowell 7-6, Nath 123-78
Batters faced: Cowell 6, Nath 31
LHS 7, Edgerton 6
LHS took both games from Edgerton in the doubleheader on May 18.
The Cardinals won the first game after breaking a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Serie reached first on an error, and designated batter Kianna Winter scored on the same play, winning the game 7-6.
Behr smacked her second home run for the year in the fifth inning on a fly ball to center field.
Senior Carly Olson collected her fourth home run of the season in the sixth inning, scoring base runners Kracht, Behr and Smidt.
Nath toed the rubber for LHS, surrendering six runs on seven hits, striking out five batters.
BOX Score
LHS 1 0 0 1 0 5 0 7
EDGR 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 6
BATTING
Luverne AB R H RBI
Behr 4 2 2 1
Smidt 4 2 1 0
Olson 3 1 2 5
Reisdorfer 4 0 0 0
Cowell 4 0 0 0
Franken 2 0 0 0
Lenz 2 0 1 0
Serie 4 0 1 0
Boll 4 0 1 0
Kracht 2 1 0 0
Winter - - - -
2B: Olson
HR: Olson, Behr
Total bases: Olson 6, Behr 5, Smidt, Lenz, Serie, Boll
SB: Smidt, Winter
PITCHING
Luverne IP H R ER SO
Nath 7 7 6 1 5
Pitches-Strikes: Nath 108-73
Batters faced: Nath 32
LHS 9, Edgerton 6
The Cardinals took the second game May 18 from EHS 9-6, scoring three runs in the seventh inning.
Reisdorfer started the seventh inning grounding out while scoring Behr from third.
Smidt scored on a passed ball by the Edgerton catcher and Cowell drilled a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Olson.
In the second inning Smidt hit her first home run, driving the ball over the left field fence and scoring courtesy runner sophomore Regan Mehlhaff and Behr.
The Cardinals covered a total of 12 bases, Smidt with five, on seven hits in the game.
Behr stole two bases in the game with Cowell, Olson and Smidt adding one each.
Cowell started the game pitching three innings while surrendering five runs on five hits and one strikeout.
Nath pitched four innings allowing one run one hit and struck out one batter.
BOX Score
EDGR 1 0 4 0 1 0 0 6
LHS 2 3 0 1 0 3 x 9
BATTING
Luverne AB R H RBI
Behr 3 3 2 0
Smidt 2 3 2 3
Olson 2 2 1 1
Reisdorfer 4 0 1 0
Cowell 3 0 0 1
Serie 3 0 0 0
Boll 3 0 0 0
Lenz 2 0 1 0
Kracht 2 0 0 0
Winter 1 0 0 0
2B: Olson, Reisdorfer
HR: Smidt
Total bases: Smidt 5, Behr 2, Olson 2, Reisdorfer 2, Lenz
SB: Behr 2, Cowell, Olson, Smidt
PITCHING
Luverne IP H R ER SO
Cowell 3 5 5 5 1
Nath 4 1 1 0 3
Pitches-Strikes: Cowell 54-30, Nath 55-46
Batters faced: Cowell 16, Nath 15