New York Mills rallied in the late innings to sweep a doubleheader from the Park Rapids 18-U fastpitch softball team at the Park Rapids Area High School field in the season finale on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
In the first game, Park Rapids led 9-6 before New York Mills scored four times in the fifth inning to rally for an 11-9 victory. In the second game, New York Mills scored five runs in the fourth inning to overcome a 4-2 deficit and spark an 8-4 win to complete the sweep.
After New York Mills opened the doubleheader by scoring a run in the first, Park Rapids tied it at 1-1 in the bottom of the inning when Ellie Ulvin led off with a walk, but was forced out at second on a grounder by Abby Morris. Tori Weaver followed with an RBI double.
New York Mills took a 2-1 lead in the second, but Park Rapids responded by taking a 4-2 lead in the bottom of that inning. Cassidy Bera and Allison Offerdahl led off with singles before Natalie Harvey reached on an error. Singles by Mickey Clark and Maddy Brakke put Park Rapids in front.
Three Park Rapids errors led to four runs in the third as New York Mills claimed a 6-4 lead. But again Park Rapids responded by scoring five times in the bottom of that inning. Singles by Ulvin and Mac Raddatz and an error led to one run before Morris blasted a two-run home run. Weaver reached on an error and Bera singled to set up a two-run double by Offerdahl.
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An error helped New York Mills cut the gap to 9-7 in the fourth before New York Mills used a double, four singles and another error to score the winning runs in the fifth.
Offerdahl went the distance for Park Rapids, allowing 10 hits, walking one and hitting a batter while striking out four over five innings. Weaver (2 for 3), Bera (2 for 2), Offerdahl (2 for 2) and Brakke (2 for 2) led Park Rapids’ 12-hit attack.
In the second game, Park Rapids scored twice in both the first and second innings to take the early lead.
Raddatz tripled and scored on a wild pitch while Morris walked and scored on an error as Park Rapids led 2-0 in the first.
New York Mills capitalized on an error to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of that inning before Clark and Brakke led off the second with walks and scored on two hit batters and a wild pitch.
After cutting the deficit to 4-3 in the third, New York Mills used two walks, three singles and two doubles to score the winning runs in the fourth.
Raddatz took the loss, allowing 10 hits and four walks while striking out seven in four innings. Singles by Chloe Tretbar in the third, Clark in the fourth and Ulvin in the fifth were the only other hits for Park Rapids.
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