Adapted softball: Thunderbolts win 19-4 over Roosevelt

South Washington County’s adapted softball team bounced back from its first loss of the season – a 16-14 defeat to Dakota United on Monday, April 30 – by beating Minneapolis Roosevelt, 19-4, last Thursday.

Dakota United capitalized on Thunderbolts’ errors in the opening inning, stomping to a 7-1 lead by the third inning. The ’Bolts, however, struck back with five runs in the third inning, closing the deficit to 7-6. South Washington County took an 8-7 lead after the fourth inning, but Dakota tied the game at 8 in the fifth. The lead continued to volley until Dakota’s four-run, seventh inning drive secured the victory.

“It was a good experience for the kids to see what a good team is going to be like,” said Thunderbolts’ coach Denny Larson. “The kids are learning. It’s hard to take a loss sometimes, but I keep telling the kids, ‘If you make a mistake, just put it away, because you can’t dwell on it, or you’ll make another mistake.’”

Junior Jared Dike went 3-for-3 at the plate, while sophomore Amanda Henderson scored a run and went 3-for-4. Freshman Tristan Rankin was 3-for-4 with an RBI, two doubles, a single and three runs scored.

“He’s just doing amazing,” Larson said of Rankin.

Lucas Clay also went 3-for-4, scoring three runs with two RBI, two doubles and a single. Freshman Dylan Kubitschek scored a run and had two RBI after hitting three singles and finishing 3-for-4 at the plate.

The loss broke the ’Bolts’ two-game winning streak, but the team more than bounced back in Wednesday’s outing against Minneapolis Roosevelt. After struggling with errors two days earlier, South Washington County committed two errors on Wednesday and won the game in five innings.

“It was amazing,” Larson said. “Probably one of the best games we’ve seen in five years. The kids were so excited.”

South Washington County shut out Minneapolis Roosevelt until the third inning, when four runs closed the Thunderbolts’ lead to 13-4. Five more runs by the ’Bolts, however, resulted in a 15-run lead – and marked Thunderbolt John Stutelberg’s first homerun of the 2012 season.

“[John] said his cheeks are sore from smiling so much,” Larson said. “He was so excited the whole night, and I’m sure mom and dad were excited for him, too.”

Junior Alice Liu and Rankin each went 2-for-3, combing for five runs. Rankin had 5 RBI.

The ’Bolts (3-1) were back at home with a game against Humboldt on Monday after the Bulletin went to press. The team hosts Parent/Senior night today against Chaska/Chanhassen/Prior Lake/Shakopee.

Tags: sports, softball, prep, updates