Gators take advantage of chances in win over Eagles By: Ryan Bergeron

Despite being outhit 10-5, the Gators girls would take advantage of the chances it had, thanks in part to some Red Lake Falls Eagles pitching wildness in the middle innings, to secure the 7-4 section home victory on May 8.

Trailing 1-0 heading into the bottom of the second, the Gators would grab a lead it would never relinquish. Leading off the inning with a single, Abbie Brockhouse came around to tie the game after an error and wild pitch. Danielle Hoyer than gave the Gators its first lead at 2-1 with a bloop RBI single just inside the left field line. Gracei Gullikson then hit in the final run of the inning with an RBI single.

Now leading 3-1, the Gator girls returned to the plate in the third, where they would score three runs without the benefit of a hit. The first five Gators reached base, four thanks to walks by Eagle starting pitcher Schultz. Josee Locken and Danielle Hoyer would pick up RBI bases-loaded walks and Isabella Brockhouse would drive in the inning’s final run with a sacrifice fly to center; the Gators led 6-1.

Still leading by the same score, the Gators faced some adversity in the fifth inning. After having already given up a run on a Kelly Schultz RBI single, the Gators led 6-2, but were faced with runners at first and third with still no outs.

Melanna Boutain would then fake a bunt attempt, leaving no one to cover second when Gator catcher Hannah Anderson threw there to gun down Schultz, running to there on a stolen base attempt. The ball went past not only second base, but by centerfielder Makenna Burslie in center field, leading to two Eagles runs and making the score 6-4. Gator Head Coach Kent Christian met with his team in the pitching circle following this play. He was asked what his message was to his girls during this meeting.

“My message is what are you doing? Give (Red Lake Falls Head) Coach (Ben) Hanson credit,” Coach Christian said. “First and third, (they do a) fake bunt and we really haven’t worked on that a whole lot and I’m not sure why this time of year, but they made a nice play and we had a bone-headed play.”

The Gator defense made three errors in the game. Outside this fifth inning, Christian said this about his team’s play in the field.

“It was pretty good. I thought outfield did a nice job, made a couple nice catches,” he said. “(In the) infield (there’s) some things we got to get corrected here pretty quick, but other than that it was pretty good.”

Speaking of outfielders in the game, Makenna Burslie fully extended her body to try and make a diving catch from her center field position. She came up just short on this attempt, but in the bottom of the sixth inning she would rip a triple to right center. Then the Gators’ Brenna Dallager grounded the ball to the pitcher. When the pitcher threw to first for the out on this groundball, Burslie ran home to score the insurance run. When asked about Burslie, Coach Christian called her “pure heart.”

“She (Burslie) plays the game hard, plays it the way it’s supposed to be played and is a gamer,” he added.

In the pitching circle, Dallager took the victory for the Gators, giving up four runs, three earned, on 10 hits, three walks, and one hit batter, and striking out three in seven innings. Schultz took the loss for the Eagles, surrendering seven runs, four earned, on five hits and four walks, and striking out five.

Offensively, no Gator player had more than one hit, but Hoyer did finish with two RBI’s. Kia McGlynn led the Eagles offensively, going three for three at the plate. Schultz went two for three with two RBI’s and Brooke Knot finished two for three to also pace the Eagles offense.

Next Action: After heading on the road to take on Warroad on May 9, the Gators return home to host the Sacred Heart Eagles in a rematch of last season’s Section 8A title game on Thursday, May 11. The Gators then stay home to host the annual Gator Classic tournament on Saturday, May 13, and then head on the road to take on the Roseau Rams on Tuesday, May 16.