Jacks Win 11 Inning Softball Marathon

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Apr 19

Kerry Rodd-NSO

CLOQUET – It was like the game that would never end on Monday night when the Cloquet Lumberjacks and Esko Eskomos hooked up in a non-conference girls fast pitch game at Braun Park. Denise Rodd and Becca Jensch hooked up in a fabulous pitchers dual and it wasn’t until the Lumberjacks finally drove a run across in the bottom of the 11th inning that the game ended 3-2 in favor of Cloquet.

Rodd and Jensch somehow managed to keep their teams deadlocked at 0-0 through seven innings, forcing the game into extra frames. It appeared that the Eskomos would win the game when they scored a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning, but in the bottom of the eighth the Jacks pushed two across the plate with one out to even the score at 2-2.

Both teams had chances in the ninth and tenth innings, but neither team could plate a run. Finally, in the bottom of the 11th Cloquet’s Courtney Esse managed to slash a single as the leadoff batter. Esse eventually ended up on second base with one out when sophomore Shania Paulson ripped a ball down the third base line that deflected off a glove into left field allowing the speedy Esse to score the game winning run.

Rodd pitched 11 innings in her high school debut and fanned four while allowing five hits. Jensch was stellar for the Eskomos by also going 11 innings striking out nine and allowing seven hits.

On the offensive side of things, the Jacks got three hits from Paulson, while Esse added a pair of hits including a triple. Sam Davis pounded out a pair of hits for the Eskomos, while Savannah Hanson added a double and Dani Johnson a double for Esko.

Kerry Rodd can be reached at Kerry@northlandsportsonline.com