Journal Sports Editor

NORTH MANKATO — After the New Ulm Cathedral bats got off to a slow start in the first game, the Greyhounds bats couldn’t be stopped in the second one.

New Ulm Cathedral will play in the consolation championship after dropping the opener 6-2 but came back to defeat Isle 18-1 in four innings in the second game of the night.

Cathedral scored seven runs in the top of the first and nine more in the second inning to run away with the victory in the nightcap. Isle committed six errors in the contest. Lauryn Franta hit a two-run home run in the top of the second, her fourth home run of the postseason.

Heidi Hoffman had three hits and scored two runs to help lead the Greyhounds in the second contest.

Cathedral will now play Waterville-Elysian-Morristown at 9 a.m. on Friday at Caswell Park for fifth place.

The Greyhounds dropped to the elimination bracket after dropping their quarterfinal game to Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian 6-2.

The Fly Dutchmen scored five times in the fifth inning.

Lauryn Franta accounted for both of Cathedral’s RBIs in the top of the first when she connected for a two-run home run that scored Emily Schommer.

“It’s nice to have those moments in the begging because then your motivation gets going,” Cathedral coach Jamie Portner said. “Your determination gets going and it just keeps you rolling throughout the whole game. This team’s been coming from behind the whole postseason and we had a chance to do it here, we just didn’t get the hits we needed to.”

The lead stayed that way until the second inning when Edgerton had five hits in the second inning but scored only one run.

In that inning, Cathedral leftfielder Megan Haala threw out a runner at third base for the first out of the inning after Gabby Buckridge circled third and tried to slide back to the bag, but Haala threw to Abby Beranek, who tagged Buckridge out at third.

Later in the inning, the Flying Dutchmen again tested Haala and Haala was successful again. Sierra Van Dyke tried scoring on a single to left, but she was thrown out by a significant distance for the third out of the inning.

“Our errors didn’t cost us runs, which is nice to see,” Portner said. “We knew they could hit, they had one good inning, but we played solid defense. There’s really nothing to hang our head about.”

The Flying Dutchmen got their big inning in the fifth going after Liz Pruns hit a three-run home run that scored McKenzie Snyder and Mariah Zienstra. Van Dyke later smacked a two-run double to put Edgerton up 6-2 at that point.

The Greyhounds finished with only three hits in the game, with Franta, Sarah Mohr and Beranek each collecting a hit.

Pautzke pitched six innings, allowing six runs on the 11 hits.

Van Dyke earned the win. She went seven innings and allowed two runs on three hits. She struck out five.