It seemed only fitting that the Lyle/Pacelli softball team would have to go through Blooming Prairie if it wanted to move on to Section 1A play. Blooming's Hilary Jones was having none of it however, capping a 4-3 comeback win with her second game-clinching hit of the tournament against L/P as the Blossoms sent them home for the second straight year.

"A little deja vu out there," said BP head coach Chad Gimbel, still drenched from a celebratory water-cooler bath. "The girls showed a lot of heart, that (6-3 loss to Southland) was not an easy game to come back from."

"We call it the 'spirit horse,'" Jones said of her team's penchant for late-inning heroics. "We just get on it and we gallop once we start hitting."

Blooming Prairie advances to the Section 1A tournament as the second seed from the West Sub-Section. They will play East Sub-Section champion Houston at 11 a.m. Saturday at Todd Park.

Lyle/Pacelli was once again able to build up an early lead on the Blossoms. Louise Mudra led off the game by reaching on a dropped third strike. After BP starter Emily Wencl struck out the next two batters, Melissa Farrell drew a walk and Kelsey Sampson laced a single to right to plate Mudra.

They got another run the next inning, making Wencl pay for a leadoff walk to Brandi Meyer. After a single by Tana Lukes, Kate Boisjolie got a base hit to score pinch-runner Melissa Rosenberger for the second L/P run.

Mudra was able to reach base on another dropped third strike in the fourth. After a stolen base and a groundout got her to third, Mudra was tagged out at home trying score on a pitch in the dirt for the final out of the inning.

Blooming Prairie's offense had not gotten much going through the first three innings since Mudra stranded Rachel Long after her leadoff double in the first. The Blossoms finally got to Mudra in the fourth after a two-out L/P error scored Jones, who had reached on a fielder's choice.

Nursing a 2-1 lead heading into the fifth, L/P tried to recapture the momentum as Rebecca Mino drew a leadoff walk and stole her way to third. Another walk to Sampson and a disputed catcher's interference call on BP loaded the bases with one out. A wild pitch brought home Mino, but BP catcher Amanda Schlund recovered a second errant pitch and got it to Wencl covering home, who alertly blocked the plate and tagged out Sampson trying to score to ending the inning.

"We could end up not scoring if we aren't aggressive on the basepaths," said L/P head coach Missy Blaser. "That's just our style of play."

Down only two instead of three, BP was able to tie it up in the bottom of the inning. Andrea Miller and Long led off with consecutive hits, the second of which shot through the legs of Sampson and down the left-field line to put both runners in scoring position. Amber Vogt followed with an RBI-groundout to cut the L/P lead to 3-2. An error brought home Long with tying run.

The score remained tied at 3-all going into the bottom of the seventh, setting the stage for more BP heroics. Miller led off with a soft liner over short that Boisjolie couldn't quite come up with. After Mudra struck out Long, Vogt and Schlund came up with consecutive hits to load the bases.

That brought up Jones, who had delivered a bases-loaded single on Saturday to send L/P to a 5-4 defeat. The Blossom leftfielder, who has made a habit of game-winning hits over the last couple of weeks, hit the first pitch she saw from Mudra into right field to begin the celebration for the Blossoms.

"I felt better up there this time," Jones said. "I could tell that Mudra wasn't herself out there from watching the other batters."

Wencl threw a five-hitter to get the win for BP, allowing just two earned runs and striking out nine. Her counterpart Mudra was the loser, allowing seven hits in six-plus innings to go with nine strikeouts and only two earned runs.

Miller was in the middle of both the tying and winning rallies for the Blossoms, going 1-for-3 and scoring twice. Long was 2-4 with two doubles and a run scored, while Schlund was 2-4 as well. Jones also scored a run to go with her RBI-single.

Offensively, L/P was led by Kelsey Sampson, who was 2-2 with a walk and RBI. Boisjolie was 1-3 and drove in a run, while seventh-grader Tana Lukes went 1-2 and was hit by a pitch.

"It was a good season for us," Blaser said of her 12-9 squad, which loses only first baseman Melissa Farrell to graduation. "We started out the year young and inexperienced, and after games like today, we'll be able to come back more mature and experienced next year."

Linescore:

Lyle/Pacelli1100100--353

B.Prairie0001201--473

Mudra and Mino; Wencl and Schlund. WP--Wencl. LP--Mudra.