Gophers defeat Cal/SG, win 9th straight

With weather we have been waiting for all spring long, Caledonia/Spring Grove and Chatfield squared off in a Three Rivers softball matchup Thursday on KFIL on a gorgeous day in the Chosen Valley.

Both teams boasted potent offenses, with CSG averaging over seven and Chatfield over 10 runs per game. But this time, the pitching and defense were on their game as the Gophers grabbed a 3-2 victory to win their ninth in a row after falling in the season opener.

Chatfield's young ace, eighth-grader Lexi Chase, started off as hot as you can get, striking out the CSG top three in order. Chatfield took the lead in the home half of the first, as Belle Berg lead off with a single, and scored a couple batters later on a bunt single by Megan LaPlante.

Caledonia/Spring Grove grabbed the lead in the top of the third with a two-out, two-run single by Abby Hoskins, scoring Olivia Adamson and Mariah Schmitz. The lead was very short-lived, however, as in the bottom of the third, two errors and a pair of wild pitches allowed Chatfield to score two unearned runs to nab the lead right back.

Chatfield failed to extend the lead with runners at 2nd & 3rd with one out in the bottom of the sixth, and Caledonia/Spring Grove got the tying run on to lead off the seventh, but stranded the runner at third. That ended the contest, with the Gophers record soaring to 9-1. Caledonia/Spring Grove dropped to 6-7.

The Player of the Game for Caledonia/Spring Grove was senior catcher Olivia Schmitz. Olivia was the only player with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 for CSG. The Chatfield POG was eighth grade hurler Lexi Chase. Lexi got the win to improve to 6-1 on the season, striking out ten without a walk in the circle.

Next up for KFIL Sports is track & field coverage! Tuesday, Bill Bentson will be in Rushford calling in live updates for the Section 1A True Team meet. We have six teams competing in the field: Chatfield, Lanesboro/Fillmore Central/Mabel-Canton, St. Charles, Lewiston-Altura, Dover-Eyota, and Rushford-Peterson/Houston. Coverage begins approximately 1pm on KFIL.

Photo credit: Thomas Northrup, Getty Images