A win is a win

Down to the last out, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn's softball team scored two runs to walk off with a 4-3 win over Unity Christian.

Abby Kunzman hit a one-out single and Morgan Grooters was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning. After advancing on a groundout, both runners scored on consecutive singles by Frankie Mohni and Eliza Tewes to give H-M-S the War Eagle Conference win on June 9 in Hartley.

"A win is a win," Hawk coach Stephanie Bronstad acknowledged. "The girls battled OK. We had a few errors that cost us a few runs that didn't need to be, but overall it was a good game."

Both teams scored their runs in the same innings. Unity Christian scored first in the second inning, and Gracie Knobloch doubled and scored on a wild pitch to tie the score. Two innings later, the Knights retook the lead but Knobloch singled in Mohni to tie the score. Unity Christian scored the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh before H-M-S rallied to claim the win.

At the plate, Knobloch hit two doubles and a single; Mohni and Tewes were both 2-for-3 with an RBI; and Kunzman had the Hawks' other hit.

Knobloch was the winning pitcher. She allowed five hits, walked two and struck out 11.

• vs. Akron-Westfield

Five runs in the final two innings pushed Akron-Westfield past H-M-S, 10-6, on June 5 in Hartley.

The Westerners scored once in each of the first two innings, sandwiched around the Hawks' initial run which scored on a single by Tewes.

Consecutive singles by Kunzman and Delaney Murphy in the fourth put H-M-S in front, 3-2. Akron-Westfield regained the lead with three runs in the fifth, but the Hawks answered with two runs on singles by Addy Sheeler and Mohni.

The game slipped away as the Westerners scored three times in the sixth inning and twice in the seventh. Abby Otto scored H-M-S's last run on a sixth-inning double by Schirmer.

"It was a tough fought game. We hit the ball well but their speed on the bases and bunting got the best of us," Bronstad said.

Mohni, Schirmer and Tewes all had two hits and one run batted in, while Cadence Klein, Otto, Kunzman, Murphy and Sheeler contributed one hit each.

Knobloch pitched the complete game, giving up 10 runs (six earned), 10 hits and three walks. She struck out nine.

• vs. Hinton

H-M-S was limited to just four hits during a 5-1 loss at Hinton on June 7.

Tewes' single in the sixth inning drove in Otto with the Hawks' only run. Their other hits were by Grooters, Knobloch and Murphy.

"The bats didn't come alive. As a coach it was hard to watch as we have been hitting the ball well," Bronstad said.

The Blackhawks scored one run in the third inning, two runs on a homer in the fourth and two more runs in the sixth.

Knobloch went the distance in the pitcher's circle, allowing seven hits, walking one and striking out seven.

H-M-S (8-7, 3-3) hosts West Sioux on June 16 and Harris-Lake Park on June 21.