Cloquet Splits in Softball

Dwight Cadwell – NSO

The Cloquet girls softball team stayed alive Thursday in Cloquet as the Lumberjacks opened play in the double elimination tournament with a 4-1 loss to International Falls, the Cloquet needed a late rally to slip past Virginia by a score of 5-4.

Tegan Anderson struck out 9 batters and she was aided by 3 Lumberjack errors as the Broncos opened and early lead in which the Lumberjacks could just not respond to.

Trailing 4-0 heading into the top of the seventh inning Jade Benko hit a solo home run to cut the lead to 4-1 but that was as close as Cloquet would come in the loss.

The loss forced Cloquet into a win or be done situation, and while Cloquet grabbed an early lead the Virginia Blue Devils responded and held a 4-2 lead entering the bottom of the fifth inning when the Lumberjacks responded with 3 runs and took the lead for good.

Kaylee McMillen was the winning pitcher, while both Jade Benko and Mikayla Langenbrunner each added two hits in the Cloquet win.

McMillen started the rally in the fifth with a lead off bunt single and scored later in that three run inning. Abby Wangen provided a huge clutch hit for drive int he game tying run.

The Lumberjacks will face MLWR on Tuesday in Grand Rapids as the section 7A tournament continues.

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