For their senior night, the Lady Braves Softball (15-3) took on St. Cloud High School (13-2) at home to bring home another win.
In the top of the first inning, junior Rachael Carroll caught two fly balls in centerfield. With the Braves at bat, junior Kathleen Cairns hit a single to first base, but did not advance further. The score remained 0-0.
Senior Karla Plogstedt threw the ball to senior Elizabeth Wills, getting the first out of the second inning. For the second out, Plogstedt struck out a St. Cloud bulldog. Wills made the third out at first base, bringing them up to bat. Driving the ball to shortstop, Wills advanced to first base. The end of the second inning remained scoreless.
Senior Kelsi Smith made the first out of the third inning and Smith and Cairns caught pop flys for the final outs. With the Lady Braves at bat, Plogstedt hit the ball over second base for a single. Senior Jamari Ridley crushed the ball to centerfield for a double. Smith hit the ball to centerfield, bringing in two runners. The score advanced to 2-0.
At the top of the fifth inning, a Bulldog brought in a runner, 2-1. Smith caught a foul ball for an out. St. Cloud hitter brought in two more runners, changing the score to 2-3. Then Ridley caught a pop fly to bring the Braves to bat. Senior Rachel Lopez made a double with a line drive to the outfield, and Smith hit the ball to the end of the fence for a double, bringing a runner home to tie the game, 3-3. Carroll hit a single to bring Wills home. The score advanced to 4-3.
In the top of the sixth inning, freshman Zaniah Morgan made an out at second base, Lopez caught a pop-up, and then Plogstedt stuck out the last runner. Back at bat, Lopez drove the ball to the outfield for a single. The St. Cloud pitcher walked Smith to first base. Driving the ball to right field, Wills brought in Lopez, 5-3.
Lopez made the first out to begin the seventh inning. Smith fielded the ball for an out at first base, and Plogstedt struck out a batter for the last out of the night.
The Lady Braves are 15-3 for the season. Their next game is home April 5 against Freedom High School (1-7-1) at 6 p.m.