All out rush: Hayfield’s entire lineup contributes in big playoff win over BP

Published 6:44 pm Monday, May 19, 2025

By Rocky Hulne

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HAYFIELD – All nine Vikings in the lineup registered at least one hit and four players delivered a multi-hit game as the No. 7 seeded Hayfield softball team eliminated No. 10 Blooming Prairie 15-3 in five innings in a Section 1A Tournament opener Monday.

BP pulled to within 5-3 when Ella Smith doubled in two runs in the top of the third, but Hayfield racked up 10 hits in an eight-run third inning to take over. Melody Walker started that inning off with an infield single and she later added an RBI single that put Hayfield up 13-3.

Walker was able to get the Vikings kick-started right after BP had gotten into the game.

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“It’s a lot of effort (to beat out an infield hit),” Walker said. “I wanted to get it started and we did get the bats rolling in that inning.”

Hayfield faced a lot of pressure with an elimination game against one of its biggest rivals, but the team came out and scored three times in the bottom of the first when Jenna Christopherson knocked in two runs. 

“Everyone hit today, Elaina Masching threw strikes and the defense played solid,” Hayfield co-head coach Travis Kauffman said. “Offensively, one through nine we really hit the ball. The message before the game was to just attack and come out swinging. We got three in the first inning and that’s big, it set the tempo.”

Christopherson went three-for-four with four RBIs.

“We really got the bats going and that helps a lot,” Christopherson said. “We were high energy and we had each other’s backs all day.”

Hayfield (9-12 overall) now enters the double elimination portion of the tournament and it will play at No. 2 Houston at 5 p.m. Tuesday.  

The Blossoms (5-14 overall) had gone to the Class A state tournament in 2024, but this year’s team had a lot of new players who were still learning the game.

“We lost a lot from last year’s team, but I’m super proud with the way that Ella Smith, Catelynn Bartlett and Mia Johnson handled themselves,” BP head coach Cam Rutledge said. “They made sure these younger girls were pushing each other every single day to be able to play our best softball at the end of the year. We won five of our last eight games, so that was a good thing to see.”

Kauffman said the Vikings have the utmost respect for Rutledge, who is a Hayfield grad and older brother of Hayfield’s Kenna Rutledge, who went two-for-four on Monday.

“Cam runs a great program and we have a ton of respect for him,” Kauffman said. “He’s even taken some of our girls and let them play summer ball with him.”

BP 0 0 3  0 0  –   3    6  3

Hayfield 4 1 8  0 X  –  15 13  0

Hayfield pitching: Elaina Masching (W) 5 IP, 6 H, 4 K

Hayfield hitting: Kenna Selk, 1-for-3, 2 R, SB, BB; Kenna Rutledge, 2-for-4, 3 R, SB, BB; Nora Bamlet, 1-for-3, double, 3 RBIs, 2 R, SB, BB; Jenna Christopherson, 3-for-4, 4 RBIs, 2 R; Ella Bamlet, 1-for-2, RBI, R; Melody Walker, 2-for-3, RBI, 2 R; Betsy Gillette, 2-for-3, double, 3 RBIs, R; Jordyn Knudson, 1-for-2, double, RBI, 2 R, BB; Alexys Swygman, 1-for-4, 2 RBIs

BP pitching: Mia Johnson (L) 4 IP, 13 H, 3 BB, 15 R

BP hitting: Madelyn Harvey, 0-for-3; Neila Nelson, 0-for-3; Ella Smith, 2-for-3, double, 2 RBIs; Gracelyn Anderson, 0-for-3; Bella Schiller, 0-for-2; Addison Mongeau, 1-for-2; Catelyn Bartlett, 2-for-2, R; Mia Johnson, 1-for-2, double, RBI, R; Ellie Stoen, 0-for-2, R

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