BLOOMING PRAIRIE — The Awesome Blossoms haven’t had a lot of tests this season, but they passed one of their tougher exams in flying colors as they came back to beat United South Central 7-5 in a softball game in BP Tuesday.

“There were some weaknesses that I knew we had and they hadn’t been exposed yet, but they were tonight,” BP head coach Ali Mach said. “The kids responded well and that’s important. I’m happy because we got ourselves in a pretty big hole and we battled back to win.”

Blooming Prairie (11-0 overall) trailed 5-2 going into the bottom of the fourth when Erica Manske knocked in a run on a fielder’s choice and Tayla Jones lined a two-out, two-run single into left field to tie the game.

“I just saw the opportunity and took it,” Jones said of her hit. “It’s always good to have a good challenge and they’re a good team to do it with.”

BP took the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Tricia DeBoer singled, advanced two bases on a throwing error on a Manske bunt and scored on a throwing error by USC pitcher Ali Ramsey.

Ramsey picked up a ground ball and looked at DeBoer a couple of times before missing the throw to first.

“Right away I knew I had to make her think about it,” DeBoer said of the play.

Julia Manges lined a two-out run scoring single to left field to make it 7-5 and BP’s defense stepped up in the top of the seventh. USC’s Whitney Adams led off the frame with a double, but Jones, a shortstop, tagged her out on a fielder’s choice after picking up a hard grounder and Jones also converted the final two outs as she caught a line drive and ran down a blooper to end the game.

“It was super intense and I just really wanted to take it,” Jones said.

DeBoer had three of BP’s nine hits as she struck out her first at-bat, but slap-bunted her way on the next three at-bats.

“Tricia’s aggressive on the bases and she’s not an easy out,” Mach said. “When she’s on, it makes it easy on the middle of our lineup.”

BP sophomore Shelbi Swenson put the Blossoms on the board in the second inning when she lined a 1-2 pitch over the left fence to make it 1-0. USC (7-4 overall) put up three runs by getting a three bunt hits and a two-run single by Ramsey in the top of the fourth.

“That’s a credit to USC,” Mach said. “They did a good job of putting bunts down and we had to adjust our bunt coverage. Once we were able to do that we did a little better.”

It was just the third time this season BP, which is ranked No. 5 in Class ‘A’, had a game decided by less than five runs, but the Blossoms didn’t mind.

“We know there’s some really good teams out there that want to beat us and we have to be ready,” Mach said. “It’s nice to see we responded today.”

BP junior Hunter Henderson singled in a run with two outs in the third to make it 3-2.

USC 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 — 5 7 4

BP 0 1 1 3 0 2 X — 7 9 2

BP pitching: Erica Manske (W), 7 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 5 R, 4 ER, 6 K, 2 HBP

BP hitting: Tricia DeBoer, 3-for-4, 2 R; Manske, 1-for-2, RBI; Tayla Jones, 1-for-3, 2 RBIs, SB, BB; Hunter Henderson, 1-for-4, RBI; Julia Manges, 1-for-4, RBI; Shelbi Swenson, 1-for-3, HR, RBI, R, BB; Sidni Olson, 0-for-2, 2 HBPs; Jenna Krell, 1-for-2; Sam Ivers, 0-for-3; Kesley Wolf, 2 R; Kelsey Kubista, 2 R, 2 SB