Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm’s Berkley Wilfahrt slides into second during a nonconference softball game against Owatonna Monday at New Ulm High School.

NEW ULM — New Ulm took their third loss of the season in a nonconference softball game against Owatonna, falling 8-0 to the Huskies on Monday.

New Ulm had to face the AAAA school without the help of their top pitcher and cleanup hitter Ramsey Hopp, who was hit by a pitch in the elbow this weekend and does not have a timeline to return, though head coach Kristi Andersen Loose hopes to have her back soon.

The Eagles have faced some hardships lately, as the weekend also featured a 7-2 loss to Farmington, the top-ranked AAAA school in the state, and Monday’s loss was the team’s biggest of the year.

“This was an adversity game for us,” Andersen Loose said. “We’re down Ramsey, so we’re trying to figure out what our lineup looks like without her. We knew this was going to be a game full of challenges, because Owatonna’s a great hitting team, defensively they’re strong, and they’re pitching’s good. So we knew no matter what, even at full strength, it was going to be a tough battle.

“As far as the outcomes, it’s not a game that necessarily scares us to the point of having to do an overhaul or anything like that. We’re still in good shape, the girls put the ball in play, Owatonna just made some beautiful defensive plays. I have no question in mind that we’re still in a good spot.”

Abby Rathmann took the loss for New Ulm, striking out five and allowing eight earned runs on eight hits and two walks. At the plate for the Eagles, Berkley Wilfahrt was 2 for 3 with a stolen base and Rathmann had a double. Gracie Linbo added a single and drew a walk.

Owatonna stacked up the runs quickly, getting three consecutive hits to start the game on their way to a four-run inning. The hot bats continued in the second for the Huskies, with two more runs being added for a 6-0 lead. The New Ulm defense settled down after a two-run inning in the fourth, and in the final three innings of the game, the team only allowed two batters to reach base. However, the offense continued to struggle against Owatonna’s pitcher, Kennedy Hodgman, a University of Wisconsin — Stout commit, and couldn’t get a baserunner past second all game.

New Ulm (14-3) travels to Marshall on Tuesday.