Softball: Blossoms outlast rainy conditions to knock off LP
Published 9:15 pm Monday, May 23, 2016

Lyle-Pacelli’s Abbey Neve slides past the tag of Blooming Prairie’s Allison Krohnberg in a Section 1A West quarterfinal in BP Monday. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
BLOOMING PRAIRIE — The No. 3 seeded Awesome Blossoms used a lot of team speed to make up for some rainy conditions as they knocked off No. 6 Lyle-Pacelli 13-3 in five innings in a Section 1A West quarterfinal softball game in BP Monday.

Blooming Prairie’s Linnea Sunde lays down a slap bunt against Lyle-Pacelli in a Section 1A West quarterfinal game in BP Monday. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
BP sophomore lead-off hitter Linnea Sunde had three slap-bunt hits, she stole three bases and she scored three runs. Sunde ended the game when she scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fifth.
“When you hear the thunder, you just want to get out of here,” Sunde said of her fifth inning run. “I went up there and I was able to get it done.”
LP (4-13 overall) trailed 3-0 after two innings, but it loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the third. The Athletics were able to score just one run in that frame to get within 3-1. BP (8-12 overall) took over in the bottom of the third when Emma Christianson had a two-out, two-run single during a six-run frame for the Blossoms.
BP took advantage of four LP errors in the win and the Blossoms stole a total of 11 bases.
“The first game’s always hard. I hate the first game of the playoffs, because there’s always pressure there,” BP head coach Ali Mach said. “The plan was to get the game done as fast as we could around the weather. We had to throw strikes and we had to play defense. I don’t think were totally ready to play right away, but we have some young kids who have some speed that allow us to create some things on the base paths.”

Lyle-Pacelli’s Abby Bollingberg turns the corner at second base as Blooming Prairie’s McKenna Hein looks on BP Monday. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
BP pitcher Elly Strunk helped her cause with a pair of doubles, but she also was able to stay in control despite the wet conditions. Strunk struck out seven and she allowed just four hits and one walk.
“I just kind of block it all out. I’m used to pitching in the rain,” Strunk said. “Every single first round playoff game I can remember pitching in the rain and it was worse than this last year. You get covered in rain, but it’s not that bad.”
LP’s program continues to grow as its roster remains very young. Eighth grader Abbey Neve was two-for-three with a double and an RBI Monday and freshman Abby Bollingberg was one-for-two with two runs scored on Monday.
“It was sloppy out there. We made great strides this year and it was kind of a bad way to end it,” LP head coach Jeff Yocom said. “We’ve improved tremendously this year. We’re hitting a lot better, but our fielding could use a lot of improvement. We’re really young and we lose one girl this year.”

Blooming Prairie’s Elly Strunk makes solid contact on a pitch against Lyle-Pacelli in a Section 1A West quarterfinal in BP Monday. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
BP will take on No. 2 Faribault Bethlehem Academy at Todd Park 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. FBA swept the regular season series from BP by scores of 3-1 to FBA on April 25.
LP 0 0 1 0 2 — 3 4 4
BP 1 2 6 3 1 — 13 11 1
BP pitching: Elly Strunk (L) 5 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 R, 2 ER, 7 K, 2 HBP
BP hitting: Linnea Sunde, 3-for-3, RBI, 3 SB, 3 R, BB; Emma Christianson, 1-for-4, 2 RBIs, SB; McKenna Hein, 3 BBs, 2 R, 2 SB; Bria Baldwin, 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 SB; Strunk, 2-for-3, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs; Maya Lembke, 0-for-2, R, 2 SB, BB; Kalyn Naatz, 1-for-3, RBI, R; Allison Krohnberg, 0-for-2, BB, SB; Lila Carlson, 1-for-3, R; Marti Snider, 2 R
LP pitching: Miranda Arkells (L)

Lyle-Pacelli’s Miranda Arkells pitches against Blooming Prairie in a Section 1A West quarterfinal in BP Monday. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
LP hitting: Abby Bollingberg, 1-for-2, 2 R, 2 SB, HBP; Danielle Hinz, 1-for-2, RBI, R, BB; Abbey Neve, 2-for-3, double, RBI; Faith King, 0-for-3; Mia Bauer, 0-for-3; Emma Soukup, 0-for-2; Lucy Nelson, 0-for-2; Arkells, 0-for-1; Tayha Rogne, 0-for-1