With the pair of wins, Cathedral improves to 3-0 overall and starts off conference play strong.

“It means a lot to us,” Cathedral senior Margo Finstad said. “Because we’ve been working on team chemistry a lot, with a whole new outfield and whatnot, a new catcher. Especially as seniors too.”

Cathedral allowed just four total baserunners across the nine innings of play as the defense stood strong throughout.

“It took some energy and confidence because it’s chilly out here,” Finstad said. “We had to make our own energy and come in and play how we know how to. We’ve been practicing a lot with situations and hitting and stuff, so coming in confident.”

Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm Cathedral’s Abbey Hillesheim delivers a pitch during the second game of a Tomahawk Division softball doubleheader against Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Thursday at Harman Park.

Cathedral will host another doubleheader against Jackson County Central on Friday. GFW drops to 0-2 and will play at Springfield on Monday.

Altermatt earned the win in Game 1, striking out 10 of the 13 batters she faced and allowing just one runner on a hit by pitch. At the plate, Brynne Wilfahrt was 2 for 2 with three runs scored, while Shay Wilfahrt was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Ellison Fitzpatrick took the loss for the Firebirds, striking out two.

Brynn Wilfahrt scored the first run of the game after drawing a walk, advancing two bases on errors and coming home on a sacrifice fly on Margo Finstad. Cathedral poured on six runs in the second, with Brynn Wilfahrt, Shay Wilfahrt and Altermatt all collecting hits, then the Greyhounds added eight more runs in the third, with Shay Wilfahrt, Ava Schmid and Ashlyn Hillesheim all earning hits to clinch the four-inning win.

Abbey Hillesheim pitched the entire second game for the win, striking out five while allowing two hits and no walks. At the plate, Ashlyn Hillesheim had a double and a run scored, while Finstad and Shay Wilfahrt each had a hit and two runs scored. Madelyn Mielke added a double.

Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm Cathedral’s Margo Finstad throws the ball to first during the second game of a Tomahawk Division softball doubleheader against Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Thursday at Harman Park.

Lauren Schafer had a triple for GFW, while Micahl Nachreiner had a single. Addison Donnay took the loss, striking out one in five innings.

GFW kept Cathedral off the scoreboard in the first inning as Schafer hit a triple in the bottom of the inning, but Cathedral got things going in the second as Finstad got a hit and came home on a wild pitch. Brynne Wilfahrt was hit by a pitch and then came home on a double by Ashlyn Hillesheim for a 2-0 lead, then Cathedral scored nine in the fourth, with Ava Krueger, Altermatt, Schmid, Shay Wilfahrt and Thea Paszkiewicz all picking up hits during the inning for an 11-0 lead. Mielke picked up her first varsity hit with a double in the fifth as Cathedral closed out the game.

Staff photo by Ari Selvey Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop’s Addison Donnay throws to ball to first during the second game of a Tomahawk Division softball doubleheader against New Ulm Cathedral Thursday at Harman Park.