Softball: Raiders split pair of SEC games, now 2-1

Going undefeated throughout the rough Suburban East Conference is something few softball teams can do. The Hastings Raiders learned that this season in the third game of SEC play, when they fell to Mounds View, 8-3, last Monday night.

“They hit the ball hard,” coach Dean Robinson said about the Mustangs. “They got on (pitcher) Treya (Connell) early and they stayed there. They had a good eye on the ball. We didn’t help her on defense, either. We had six errors.

“That’s too many errors against a team like Mounds View. They’re going to make you pay. If you give them more outs, they’re going to take advantage of it.”

Mounds View scored two runs in the first inning.

In the second, Hastings got on the board with a run. Connell singled, Kaitlin Stark singled and Stef Wical reached on an error. Lori Bauer hit a single that scored Shelby Wassink, who was running for Connell.

In the third, Mounds View pulled away with a three-run home run and a solo home run to take a 6-1 lead.

Hastings got two runs back in the fourth. Wical walked, Bauer singled and Rachel Thomas singled. Kaylynn Johnson singled in a run and Lundquist hit a sacrifice fly to score another.

In the bottom of the sixth, Mounds View added two runs for the final of 8-3.

“I just feel like, Mounds View, they’re tough,” Robinson said. “They’re scrappy. They come to play us every year. They always seem to take one from us. They’re a team that comes after us every single time we play them.

“They hit the ball well, and we gave them too many outs.

“It’s definitely a game to learn from. We weren’t expecting to go undefeated this season. We’ll learn from it, and we’ll move on.”

Vs C-DH

Hastings beat Cretin-Derham Hall last week, 7-1. It was a rough day weather-wise for the two teams.

“It was so cold and windy and it was spitting rain,” Robinson said. “We were flat to begin with, and the weather didn’t help. It took us a little bit to get our feet beneath us and get our intensity up.”

Hastings worked out of a couple big jams defensively, and the Hastings offense was paced by three solo home runs. All three home runs went over the fence. There was nothing cheap about them.

“They were just gone,” Robinson said. “It was crazy. It wasn’t like the wind was blowing out, either.”

The first of those homers came from Hailey Lundquist, who led off the game with a solo shot. Robinson wasn’t surprised to see his lead-off hitter hit one.

“She has got bat speed like there’s no tomorrow,” he said. “She’s a good hitter. She’s small, but she can rope the ball, no doubt.”

Britt Robinson had a home run to lead off the fourth inning.

In the fifth, Lori Bauer began a Hastings rally with a solo homer.

The rally continued when Lundquist walked and Michaela Mills bunted. Robinson doubled to score two.

In the seventh, Mills knocked in Bauer with base hit to close out the scoring.

Connell pitched for Hastings and struck out 11. She walked three and got the win.

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