The hits would not come

Emmetsburg outhit and outscored Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn in the opening round of the Class 2A regional softball tournament. The E-Hawks won the game, 9-3, on July 8 at Emmetsburg.

Four hits and three runs by Emmetsburg in the first inning set the tone. They continued to build their advantage, scoring two runs in the second inning, single runs in the third and fourth innings, and two more runs in the fifth.

The E-Hawks finished with 12 hits, double the total for H-M-S.

The Hawks had two runners on base in the first two innings but failed to score, and were retired in order over the next three innings. H-M-S's only hits through six innings were a bunt single by Lindsey Van Es in the first and a single by Kamryn Ebel in the sixth.

The Hawks' bats came alive in the seventh, when they put together a four-hit inning. Consecutive hits by Kinsey Schirmer, Natalie Daggett and Addy Sheeler started things, with Sheeler's bunt hit driving in Schirmer with the first run. Sheeler later scored on a wild pitch, and Frankie Mohni walked and scored on a single by Ebel.

"We didn't hit the ball," Hawk coach Stephanie Bronstad acknowledged.

Ebel pitched six innings, allowing nine runs on 12 hits. She walked three and struck out two.

"Kamryn pitched a great game and Delaney [Murphy] kept her engaged the whole time behind the plate," Bronstad noted. "Our defense struggled at times but our bats could have made that up."

Both teams were charged with two defensive errors.

H-M-S finishes the 2024 season with a record of 7-12 while Emmetsburg (10-15) went on to defeat Sioux Central, 13-11, in the regional quarterfinal.