Linbo, Eagles slide by Saints in elimination bracket

Jun 21, 2023

May 28, 2023

Staff photo by Travis RosenauNew Ulm’s Gracie Linbo, right, celebrates with teammate Lauren Schmiesing after scoring the go-ahead run in a Section 2AA Softball Tournament elimination game Saturday against St. James Area at Caswell Park in North Mankato.

NORTH MANKATO — No. 1-seeded New Ulm’s Gracie Linbo didn’t drive in the winning run against St. James Area on Saturday in a Section 2AA Softball Tournament elimination game, but she did drive the Saints crazy with her baserunning.

After Linbo got caught in a rundown between first and second in the sixth inning, her teammate Kenzie Enter took the opportunity to run home from third for the tying run. Linbo also somehow managed to escape a tag and dive into second safely on that play.

Moments later, Linbo was caught in another rundown, this time between third and home. She once again found a way to avoid the tag, however, finishing with a headfirst slide into home to give the Eagles the go-ahead run.

The Eagles added an insurance run after that and earned a 4-2 win at Caswell Park.

The win moves the Eagles on in the elimination bracket, where they will meet Belle Plaine at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Caswell Park on Field 4. A victory there moves the Eagles on to a game later in the night against second-seeded Fairmont, with the winner of that game moving on to the section finals Thursday.

The Eagles dropped into elimination play after suffering a 9-7 loss to fourth-seeded Le Sueur-Henderson earlier Saturday.

Linbo’s first rundown against the sixth-seeded Saints came after reaching on an infield single. Enter, who doubled to right-center to lead off the bottom of the sixth, moved to third on Linbo’s infield single and later took home after Linbo tried to swipe second.

“We’re always told that if there’s a runner at third, we’re going to steal second,” Linbo said. “So I was just doing that so that we could score her and tie the game up. But then I got into a pickle and just dove in there.”

Ramsey Hopp reached on a fielder’s choice that saw Linbo caught in her second rundown of the game. The play ended up in gold for the Eagles, however, as the throw to home was dropped as Linbo dove in safely.

“I probably got a little far off,” Linbo said of her go-ahead run. “I should have waited for the throw to first, but then I got too far out and then I made what I could with it.”

Linbo, who recently returned to action from a broken hand, wore a mitt on Saturday running the bases. While she had her teammates and head coach Kristi Andersen Loose gritting their teeth with her headfirst sliding, Linbo was all smiles after the game and none the worse for wear.

The Eagles added another run after Linbo’s run on a bunt single by Lauren Schmiesing that scored Hopp’s pinch runner Hadley Batt from third.

Schmiesing ended up going 2 for 2 to lead the Eagles against the Saints, while Linbo went 2 for 3.

The Saints got the first lead in the first inning on an RBI double from Taylor Sodeman, who went 3 for 4 in the game. Hopp singled in the fourth and had Batt run for her then also. Batt ended up scoring on a throwing error from the catcher to tie the game at 1-all.

The Saints took a 2-1 lead back in the top of the sixth after obstruction was called at home plate as Sodeman attempted to slide in and beat the throw. The lead was brief, however, as the Eagles came back for three runs in the bottom half of the inning.

The Saints got a one-out single in the seventh, but Hopp forced back-to-back flyouts to end the game.

Hopp got the complete-game win, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out four. Addie Bowers took the loss in all seven innings, allowing five hits and one walk while fanning eight.

The Eagles’ comeback against the Saints wasn’t the first comeback of the day for them as they nearly rallied back from a 7-0 hole against LSH earlier that evening. LSH put together a four-run first that saw three New Ulm errors and three LSH hits. The Giants went ahead 5-0 in the third on another error before a two-run homer from Rhyan Fritz in the fourth put them up 7-0.

The Eagles got four runs back in the fifth on an RBI single from Brya Aschenbrenner, an RBI from Berkley Wilfahrt, an RBI groundout from Enter and an RBI bunt from Linbo. After SJA got two runs back in the sixth, the Eagles scored three more in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI double from Maddie Backer and an RBI single by Hopp.

Giants pitcher Chloe Brandt forced two popouts after Hopp’s single, however, to end the rally and game. Backer led the Eagles at the plate that game with her double, going 2 for 4 with two RBIs, while Linbo was 2 for 4 also.

Hopp allowed three earned runs in that complete-game loss to LSH, allowing 10 hits and two walks.

Brandt pitched a complete game also, allowing seven hits and one walk for one earned run. She struck out seven. Later in the day, the Giants topped Fairmont 2-1 to move on to the section finals Thursday.

The Giants need one win Thursday to advance to the state tourney, while the elimination bracket winner will need two wins against the Giants to move on to state.

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