Staff photo by Travis Rosenau New Ulm pinch runner Addely Cariveau steals third during a nonconference softball game against Owatonna on Monday at New Ulm High School.

NEW ULM — After continuously nipping at Owatonna’s heels on Monday in a nonconference softball game, the New Ulm Eagles finally had enough bite in the bottom of the seventh.

Sophomore Natalie Fischer’s RBI single scored Maddi Olson, completing a seven-run comeback and giving the Eagles a 13-12 walk-off win.

The game, which lasted 2 hours and 48 minutes, saw the Eagles trail 12-5 entering the bottom of the seventh. But five runs in the bottom of the sixth and three more in the seventh gave New Ulm the comeback victory.

While Fischer struck out three times in the game, she still finished 2 for 5 with two RBIs, her last at-bat being the biggest of the night.

“Sometimes during the game, things just might not work out and it’s not your time, but as long as you can turn the page and be ready for when it’s your time, that’s going to make the difference,” Eagles head coach Kristi Andersen Loose said. “Natalie did that. She had a tough game, but I just love that she was resilient enough and she could dig deep and let go of her previous at-bats and focus in the present, focus on the now and realize, ‘It is my turn. I can do this and I can be there.'”

The Eagles were led by Lily Poehler, who went 3 for 4 with an RBI and three runs scored, while Megan Brudelie was 3 for 5 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored and Lauren Schmiesing was 2 for 4 with a triple, two RBIs and three runs scored. Miley Flor also went 2 for 4 with a double and two RBIs for New Ulm, while Gracie Baker was 1 for 3 with two walks and three runs scored and Olson was 1 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.

Brudelie got the win in three innings of work, starting the game before being relieved by Flor in the second inning. Brudelie reentered in the sixth inning and finished allowing four hits and six walks for four runs while striking out five. Flor pitched four innings total and allowed 10 hits and no walks for nine runs while striking out five.

The Huskies were led at the plate by Kendra Bogen, who was 2 for 3 with a double, a triple and an RBI, while Jessalyn Smith was 2 for 3 with a triple and four RBIs. Samantha Meier was 2 for 2 with two RBIs, while Ellie Blum was 2 for 3 with a triple, Hanley Rosenau was 2 for 4 with two doubles and Ava Fisher was 2 for 5 with a double, a triple and four RBIs.

Rosenau got the start and went six innings, allowing 11 hits and six walks for six earned runs while striking out 11. Smith pitched the seventh and took the loss, striking out one while allowing three hits for one earned run.

A one-out single by Poehler got the Eagles on base first in the bottom of the seventh. A stolen base and a groundout moved Poehler to third before Brudelie doubled to have the Eagles down 12-11. An error on a fly ball allowed Olson to reach and score Brudelie to tie the game.

Fischer then ended the long game with an RBI single to center.

Bogen’s RBI triple and a sac fly from Fisher put Owatonna in front 2-0 in the first, but the Eagles took the runs back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single from Brudelie and a wild pitch that scored Schmiesing, who walked earlier in the inning.

After Owatonna got two more runs in the second, it added three more in the fourth for a 7-2 lead. The Eagles got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth after an error and an RBI single by Poehler, but the Huskies got three more in the fifth and two in the sixth for a commanding 12-5 lead.

New Ulm went to work in the bottom of the sixth, aided by a couple of Owatonna errors. After a leadoff walk by Baker and a walk to Poehler, Schmiesing singled in both runners to make it 12-7. Back-to-back errors allowed another run to score and a two-run single to left by Flor made it a 12-10 game.

Despite Brudelie taking the circle in the seventh again and allowing a leadoff walk and a double, she got back-to-back strikeouts and a pop out to end the threat and set up the game-winning heroics in the seventh.

Andersen Loose said while the team didn’t quite have the field potential at the beginning of the season, they had the energy. As the season has gone on, the Eagles’ play in the field has improved and has complimented their drive to win and camaraderie and has led to games like Monday.

“The girls have had this presence or energy the whole season,” Andersen Loose said. “We even noticed in our scrimmages, in our preseason dome scrimmages — they just do a really good job of being there for each other, encouraging each other, supporting each other, lifting each other up.”

New Ulm (7-3) is at Belle Plaine on Tuesday before hosting Worthington on Thursday.