Carlton’s Exciting Season Comes To A Close

May 26

Kerry Rodd-NSO

A season filled with excitement came to a close for the Carlton softball team on Tuesday night in the Section 7A Final Four Tournament held at Braun Park in Cloquet. The Bulldogs dropped back-to-back games to Nashwauk-Keewatin and Silver Bay and were eliminated from the tournament.

Carlton opened with Nashwauk-Keewatin and kept the game tight for most of the affair. Bulldog pitcher, Mia Saunders, was able to pitch out of trouble in the first three innings, but Carlton gave up four runs in the fourth inning to fall behind. Saunders gave up a pair of leadoff walks and the Bulldogs then had a fly ball error and the wheels came off the proverbial wagon resulting in a 4-0 deficit.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Bulldogs rallied for a run and it appeared as if they would cut the gap even more.
However, a couple of solid defensive plays by the Spartans ended that rally.

The Spartans notched a single tally in the fifth and another in the sixth to gain the win and move on into round two of the double elimination tournament while the Bulldogs faced Silver Bay who had lost to Cherry in their opener 11-4.

Against Silver Bay, the Bulldogs struggled to keep runners off base as the Mariners built an early lead. To the Bulldogs credit each time, the Mariners scored in the early innings. Carlton would bounce back to narrow the gap. However,
in the top of the fifth inning, and leading 10-5, the Mariners were able to put up five runs and then hold the Bulldogs to win the game via the mercy rule.

Carlton finishes the season with a 14-6 record and the program bounced back to respectability under first year head coach Brooke Lee.

*Cherry won their first two games of the tournament and stands as the lone undefeated team entering the final day of the tournament on Thursday. The Tigers beat Silver Bay 11-4 and Nashwauk-Keewatin 9-2.

After beating Carlton, the Silver Bay Mariners bounced back out of the loser’s bracket with a 5-0 win over Nashwauk-Keewatin to eliminate the Spartans.

Thursday’s championship round will feature the Mariners against the Tigers with Silver Bay needing to beat Cherry twice in order to win the Section 7A tournament.

Kerry Rodd can be reached at kerry@northlandsportsonline.com