The Blackhawks (1-1) drew 11 walks and took advantage of four errors to run away with a 16-6 win in six innings of a nonconference softball game at MVL High School.

The game ended in the bottom of the sixth due to the 10-run lead rule.

Jessica Meunier led the Chargers (0-1) at the plate, going 3 for 4 with an RBI triple and a run scored, while Sophia Dalueg was 2 for 2 with a run scored, Taryn Gunderson was 2 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored, Morgan Black was 2 for 3 with an RBI and Kenzie Graham was 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. Katlyn Stadick, Nora Grace Otto and Avery Menk each had a hit also for MVL.

Stadick struggled early finding the strikeout and the 40-degree weather and wind wasn’t much help for her as 10 of her 11 walks given up came in the first three innings. She also allowed eight hits for 12 earned runs while striking out five in 5 2/3 innings.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Madelia’s Lauryn Grev smiles after crossing home plate during a nonconference softball game at Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School on Thursday in New Ulm.

“We’ve been outside a little bit, but not as much in this kind of temperature,” MVL head coach Nate Otto said. “You did see that from the pitcher, Katelyn’s constantly trying to warm her hands up and trying to get that hand warm to be able to pitch and throw something in there that was a little bit more than just a strike. Her team didn’t necessarily back her up all the way, she was losing some confidence in there, but I think she pulled through.

“And we got another pitcher come in and it was a really good opportunity for us to play another pitcher and see kind of what our mix is. We still have two other pitchers that we’re hoping to play this season, so with four pitchers, I think we should be able to be pretty solid.”

Nora Grace Otto allowed a hit and struck out one in the 1/3 inning she pitched.

The Blackhawks didn’t get the bats going consistently until later in the game, but they didn’t need to with keen eyes at the plate and awareness on the bases.

Makayla Sorenson ended up leading the Blackhawks with a 3-for-5 day at the plate that included a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Lauryn Grev was 2 for 2 with two doubles, three RBIs, three runs scored and three walks, while Kellie Koberoski was 2 for 4 with an RBI and three runs scored and Alicia Lugo was 1 for 4 with a triple and three RBIs. Addison Odegard added a hit, two runs scored and and two walks, while Emmy Johnson had two walks and two runs scored.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Minnesota Valley Lutheran’s Jessica Meunier fouls off a pitch during a nonconference softball opener against Madelia on Thursday at MVL High School.

Odegard ended up getting the win for Madelia in the circle in four innings, allowing 11 hits and three walks for six earned runs while striking out three. Emily Jacobs pitched the final two innings and allowed three hits and a walk for no runs while striking out two.

Despite the Chargers’ many hits, the Blackhawks didn’t let it equate to too many runs in the end.

“Our pitcher really settled in,” Madelia head coach Mike Schwanke said. “It was her first start of the year, so she started a little rusty, but Addison Odegard, she came on strong and then to close it out we brought in our other [pitcher] Emily Jacobs, and she finished it out. I attribute it to just settling in and she looked a lot better after that when she got going a little bit.”

The Blackhawks opened the game with a leadoff walk by Johnson before Koberoski walked to put two on. A wild pitch during a Grev at-bat allowed the first run to score and Grev walked two pitches later to put runners on the corner. A steal by Grev and a single by Sorenson followed to bring in two and make it a 3-0 game before a groundout by Madelyn Lehman gave Madelia a 4-0 start.

Stadick helped her own cause with a double to lead off the bottom of the first and a one-out single by Gunderson got the Chargers on the board. Meunier then doubled to right to score Gunderson and an error on the same play allowed Meunier to take third also. Black singled in Meunier and the Chargers trailed 4-3 after one.

MVL took a 5-4 lead in the second on an error and a wild pitch, but the Blackhawks were quick to retake the lead in the third after Lugo’s two-run triple and an error put them in front 7-5.

After Madelia added a run in the fourth on a sac fly by Lugo, MVL got its final run in the bottom of the fourth after Gunderson scored on a wild pitch.

The fifth inning saw Madelia put five runs on the board for a 13-6 lead, getting two-run doubles from Grev and Sorenson and an RBI groundout by Lehman. Madelia got three more runs in the top of the sixth on an RBI single by Koberoski, an RBI double by Grev and an RBI single by Sorenson.

“We only lost two starters from last year, so the girls are really experienced and they’ve got good eyes at the plate as you can see,” Schwanke said. “Hitting good pitches and laying off the stuff they can’t do nothing with.”

The Chargers were able to load the bases in the bottom of the sixth after singled by Gunderson and Black and a walk by Nora Grace Otto, but a groundout to first ended the game.

“We have sophomores and freshmen on the team that are playing and starting,” coach Otto said. “We had two seniors tonight that played, but we’re super young. So to be able to come out and still perform like we did I think really was a good blessing for us. I think it’s something that we can keep our eyes on us coming in the future, I think there’s some good things that you’re going to be seeing from some of our younger players.

“We got a lot of bases that we hadn’t in the past, so we see some growth that it’s going to be kind of from our youth program. We’re going to be a big, strong program.”

MVL is at Martin County West on April 6, while Madelia is at Wells to take on United South Central on Tuesday.