But as the game wore on, it became clear that St. Mary’s was committed to putting together a much stronger effort defensively. The Knights tightened things up on defense, retiring the side in order both the second and third innings. By the end, it was the Knights that put up more runs on the scoreboard as St. Mary’s came away with a 7-3 victory.

“It’s been an area of focus for these guys and they’ve been working on being more consistent because we have struggled in our early games of playing clean softball,” St. Mary’s head coach Kayla Mathiowetz said. “These girls are hard on themselves and they look to get better in everything they do every day in practice. It’s a tribute to them, because they work hard on cleaning up their defense.”

Taylor Mathiowetz said the team needed to pick up from how it started the game.

“I think that first inning was a little rough for us, but we knew we were a better team,” she said. “We needed to pick up our energy and show them who was the better team. We ended up coming out strong and that energy came out strong and it helped us in the end.”

Staff photo by Ari Selvey Sleepy Eye St. Marys’ Taylor Mathiowetz throws the ball to first baseman Nell Weiss (14) during a Tomahawk Division softball game against Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Thursday at Prairieview Park.

Taylor Mathiowetz got the compete-game win for St. Mary’s, striking out eight and allowing three runs on two hits. At the plate, Audra Hoffmann was 3 for 3, while Jaylynn Sellner was 2 for 2 with two RBIs. Taylor Mathiowetz was 3 for 4 with an RBI, Joslyn Sellner was 2 for 3, and Nell Weiss was 2 for 4 with an RBI. Brylee Hansen added a hit and two RBIs.

“[Offense] has been the most solid part of our game all season long,” coach Mathiowetz said. “These girls have been stringing hits together and making solid contact. I would actually say they were quieter than they normally are tonight. But they’re still doing what they need to do in the batter’s box, being selective, waiting for their pitch, and they’ve been working really hard on hitting with their stations that we do at practice too.”

After the Mustangs took their 1-0 lead, St. Mary’s loaded the bases themselves in the second, but a groundout ended the inning with no score. Taylor Mathiowetz got a leadoff double in the third, however, which the Knights capitalized on with an RBI single from Nell Weiss. Jaylynn Sellner added another single to plate two more runs as St. Mary’s took a 3-1 lead.

The Knights continued to score in the fourth innings, with Joslyn Sellner and Tauer both collecting RBI singles for a 5-1 lead. BLHS got back on the board as Sadie Kirtz connected for a two-RBI double, but Taylor Mathiowetz and the St. Mary’s defense limited the damage with a flyout and a strikeout to end the inning.

“We pick up each other after a mistake,” Taylor Mathiowetz said. “Everybody is going to make mistakes, and we all realize that as a team. If we keep picking each other up — and that’s what we did tonight. We made a couple little errors in the first inning and a few in the next innings, but our teammates are there to pick us up and make the next play. And that’s really what helped us.”

Staff photo by Ari Selvey Sleepy Eye St. Marys’ Brylee Hansen makes a throw to first during a Tomahawk Division softball game against Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Thursday at Prairieview Park.

The Knights loaded up the bases again in the fifth inning, and Hansen was able to drive home two runs with a single for a 7-3 advantage. Neither team scored in the sixth inning, and Taylor Mathiowetz caught a line drive and threw it to first for a double play to end the game in the seventh.

St. Mary’s (6-6, 5-5) plays at St. Clair/Mankato Loyola on Friday.