In Game 1 against Jordan, the Eagles played to their strengths, doing well on the basepaths and getting their bunts down.

“It’s really important to us to get these extra bases,” New Ulm’s Maddie Backer said. “We’re known for running, and there’s a big difference between having a runner on first and a runner on second, even though its just one base, that’s a whole hit difference to get a run.”

Ramsey Hopp earned the win in the circle, striking out six while allowing three hits and no walks in the complete-game shutout. At the plate, Lauren Schmeising had a hit and two RBIs, while Gracie Baker had a hit and an RBI. Kenzie Enter was 1 for 1 with a run scored, and Backer had two runs scored and two steals. Bridgette Roiger added a double.

Backer got New Ulm on the scoreboard after being hit by a pitch, then stealing second. Enter bunted Backer over to third, then a throwing error trying to throw behind Backer went into the dugout, allowing Backer to score.

Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm’s Lauren Schmeising takes a lead off of first during a nonconference softball game against Farmington Friday at Caswell Park in North Mankato.

New Ulm scored again in the third inning, with Baker taking a walk and going to second as Backer was hit by another pitch. Sacrifice bunts by Enter and Hopp scored Baker shortly after to increase the lead to 2-0.

New Ulm had a big fifth inning, starting with a stelar baserunning performance from Backer. First, Backer avoided a tag at first to reach base, then took two bases on a shallow single from Enter. After the throw to third was not in time, Backer timed up a steal of home after the ball returned to the pitcher to score a run.

“I didn’t have the steal sign on off of first,” Backer said. “So I just got a big lead, and I saw Kenzie hit it. When I turned, it went in between the second baseman’s legs, and I knew, ‘It’s in right, I can probably get two bases off of this.’ So I got to third, and I had to slide, but [New Ulm Eagles head coach] Kristi [Andersen Loose] said, ‘Hey, pay attention, the pitcher’s not watching.’ So I looked, and her head was facing right field and the catcher was talking to the coaches. So I just went. I knew neither of them were paying attention.”

A walk from Hopp set up Schmiesing for a single that scored both Enter and the pinch runner Hadley Batt to increase the score to 5-0. New Ulm added an insurance run in the sixth as Baker’s single scored Mya Hornick for a 6-0 ballgame.

New Ulm’s next matchup was against Farmington, who came into the game with a 13-1 record and as the second-ranked team in the Class AAAA by the Minnesota High School Softball Coaches’ Association. Farmington proved its hitting prowess immediately, as leadoff hitter Lexi Goring hit a solo homer over the fence to start the game. However, the New Ulm defense came together, not allowing another run in the inning.

The Eagles also held the Tigers scoreless in the second inning as Hopp struck out one to close out a 1-2-3 inning. However, Goring added another hit in the third inning, then took home on a double by Ellie Peterson to make it a 2-0 game.

New Ulm was able to get a run on the board in the fourth inning, as Hopp drew a walk, then Batt, pinch running again, got to second on a bunt from Schmiesing, then scored as a bunt from Berkley Wilfahrt that found a seam in the infield and made it all the way to the edge of the grass, allowing Batt to come home all the way from second.

However, the New Ulm offense struggled to get base runners for the rest of the game, and the Tigers added one more run in the fifth to seal the 3-1 victory.

Despite the loss, New Ulm played Farmington closer than nearly any other team had this season, as aside from a 4-2 loss Farmington took to fifth-ranked Rosemount, it was the closest game that Farmington had played this season.

“Our goal is to be better than yesterday,” Andersen Loose said. “And the girls were. They had a great day today. They got roughed up with a lot of hit by pitches and getting banged up on the bases, so we’ve got some hurting girls at the moment, but they worked through it. What I loved about this game is our energy. We were in it from the first out to the last out. Defensively, we got through some tough innings. Ramsey and Gracie did a great job holding them to only three runs, which is incredible. They’re a really, really good hitting team. They’re the best team we’ve played all year. And offensively, they’re not going to give up a ton of runs. But every time we had a kid on base, the girls executed, and they tried to get that kid in, and I always felt like we had a shot.”

Andersen Loose also acknowledged that the Farmington catcher limited what New Ulm tried to do on the basepaths in the game.

“Their catcher had a cannon that really kept us on our toes and made us work for everything that we got,” she said.

New Ulm (10-3) now plays New Prague Saturday at 10 a.m. in the third-place game of the tournament.