NEW ULM - New Ulm Blue won two out of three games in the first day of 16U softball at the Windmill Classic at Harman Park Saturday.
New Ulm Blue won the first game against Mankato 10-1 backed by a 10-strike out performance from Tori Botten. Karlee Pfaff was 4-for-4 with two RBI and Botten was 3-for-4 and she drove in three runs. Abby Hauser was 3-for-4 as well.
In the second game, New Ulm Blue fell to Austin 4-3. Austin scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning on a wild pitch. Hauser went the distance and struck out three batters.
Pfaff picked up another two hits and Aubrey Smith hit a solo home run.
In game three, it was all New Ulm Blue.
Pfaff came into game three with six hits and she added three more as she bombed a three-run double to center field in the first inning and then unloaded for a grand slam in the third.
New Ulm Blue held a 13-0 lead after three innings and went on to defeat Northstars Sibley East 14-2 in four innings.
Botten struck out three in her second outing of the day. Pfaff was 3-for-3 with seven RBI and Hauser had two RBI and scored three runs.
A base hit and two walks brought up Pfaff with the bases loaded and no outs.
Pfaff found her pitch and sent it sailing over the center fielder's head and Botten scored all the way from first easily.
Pfaff followed suit in the third with another powerful swing with the bases loaded. Singles from Hauser and Botten loaded the bases and Pfaff hit the no-doubter to deep left-center and New Ulm Blue took an 11-0 lead.
Sibley East managed to add a couple of runs in the top of the fourth, but then New Ulm Blue ended it with a bases-loaded walk from Hauser that ended the game due to the 12-run rule.
"Our bats kind of went to sleep in the second game," head coach Larry Botten said. "It was a good game and it was fairly close, but there wasn't a whole lot of scoring. In the third game the bats came alive. It's kind of been up and down all summer, but the girls are starting to play a lot better. They are playing a lot better in the field and getting a lot more confidence as they go. It's been a good day."