Softball: Menahga entering section tournament on a 5-game winning streak

MENAHGA – Joie Koll’s three-run home run sparked the Menahga fastpitch softball team to a 9-6 win over Pine River-Backus in a game between Section 5A teams on Friday, May 19.

Koll’s blast was followed by Aili Anderson’s RBI triple and Dreah Christiansen’s RBI single as Menahga scored six runs in the fourth inning. Anna Pietila’s RBI single in the fifth and Janelle endrickson’s RBI double during a two-run sixth concluded the scoring.

Peitila (2 for 5), Anderson (2 for 4) and Koll (2 for 4, two runs) led the Braves’ offense, which finished with 10 hits. Koll allowed two unearned runs on two hits with six strikeouts over five innings to pick up the win in relief of Leah Weaver, who allowed four runs on four hits over the first two innings.

The Braves ended the regular season with a five-game winning streak and will enter the Section 5A playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the West with a 5-0 record against section teams and a 13-7 overall record. PR-B ended the regular season with a 4-6 section record and an 8-12 overall mark.

MENAHGA – Pietila and Anderson hit two home runs apiece in sparking the Braves to a Park Region Conference doubleheader sweep over Pillager on Thursday, May 18.

Pietila hit a solo homer in the first inning and had a double and a two-run homer during an eight-run third as the Braves won the opener 11-0 in five innings. Weaver and Hendrickson added RBI doubles and Janelle Lehto had an RBI single in the third.

Pietila (3 for 3, three runs, four RBI) and Christiansen (3 for 3, two runs) led Menahga’s 12-hit attack while Weaver threw a one-hitter and struck out six for the win.

Anderson’s solo homer in the first and two-run blast during a three-run third led the Braves to a 10-5 win in the second game. Hendrickson had an RBI single in the fourth and Anderson had an RBI single in the sixth.

Hendrickson (2 for 4), Anderson (3 for 4, two runs, four RBI), and Koll (2 for 2, two runs, two RBI) paced the Braves’ eight-hit attack. Koll picked up the win, allowing 12 hits and three earned runs with eight strikeouts as Menahga improved to 9-5 in the conference. Pillager fell to 7-7 in conference games and 12-8 overall.

WALKER – Koll threw a one-hitter and struck out eight in leading the Braves to a 9-0 section win over Walker-Hackensack-Akeley on May 17.

RBI singles by Anderson and Weaver gave the Braves a 2-0 lead in the fourth while RBI singles by Hendrickson and Pietila, an RBI triple by Anderson and an RBI double by Weaver sparked a five-run fifth. Pietila tripled and scored the final run in the seventh.

Hendrickson (2 for 4, two runs), Pietila (2 for 4, two runs) and Anderson (2 for 4) led the offense, which had 11 hits.

The loss dropped W-H-A to 9-1 in the section and 14-1 overall.