That two-run homer put the Greyhounds up 6-1 over the Indians to all but seal an 8-2 victory and give Cathedral a share of the Tomahawk Division title.

The Greyhounds are undefeated in conference play and can clinch sole control of the division title with a win over Springfield on Thursday or a Springfield loss to Sleepy Eye on Tuesday.

“I think it’s a really big confidence booster,” Abbey Hillesheim said. “We knew that Sleepy Eye was going to come out wanting it, especially after last game, but I think it showed a lot of what we’re made of that we were able to come out here and not let anything that happened in past games or the fact that we beat them before cloud our judgement or affect our play.”

Abbey Hillesheim said she wasn’t looking for a particular pitch, but rather aiming to just make solid contact. But the gusty winds helped carry her well-hit ball the distance.

Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm Cathedral’s Brynn Wilfahrt tosses the ball to first during a Tomahawk Division softball game against Sleepy Eye Monday at Harman Park.

“It honestly meant a great deal,” she said. “I haven’t been hitting the best this year, so to know that I can show up for my team and see them waiting for me at the end, it just means everything to me. It’s why I love the game so much, it’s why I play the sport. The team is my family. Knowing that I can be there for them and that I can provide and help the team win, it’s a really good feeling.”

Jayde Altermatt earned the win in the circle for the Greyhounds, striking out 15 while allowing two earned runs on six hits in a complete game. At the plate for Cathedral, Abbey Hillesheim was 2 for 2 with her home run, while Ashlyn Hillesheim also had a home run. Altermatt was 1 for 3 with three RBIs, and Leah Wilson had a hit and three runs scored.

Berkner took the loss for Sleepy Eye, striking out five and allowing eight runs, two earned, on six hits in six innings. At the plate, Berkner was 2 for 3 with a home run, while Megan Sellner had a double and an RBI.

Sleepy Eye head coach Cory Haala said that his team’s offensive approach was better than in their 10-1 loss to the Greyhounds on April 21, but the team’s five defensive errors proved to be too much to overcome.

“We matched them in hits today,” Haala said. “But as I told the girls, I think we had one clean defensive inning during the game. Whether it was an error or a walk or some sort of mental mistake. A good team like New Ulm Cathedral, they’re good players and well coached. Those mistakes, they’re going to make you pay.

“We’re still young in a lot of positions, we’re still learning, but if we shore up those mistakes, we can be right there with one of the better teams in Class A and the state of Minnesota. Overall, compared to the first time we played them, we cut down on our strikeouts a little bit, put the ball in play a little bit better against a very good pitcher. But your margin of error is very small when you play against a good team. We needed to play more clean innings, and unfortunately, that didn’t happen.”

Jaelynn Schauman was able to advance to third base in the top of the first for Sleepy Eye, drawing a walk, taking second on a single by Callie Evers and then heading to third on a fielder’s choice, but Altermatt got a strikeout to end the half inning without a score. Wilson drew a leadoff walk of her own in the bottom of the inning, and a trio of pitches that hit the fence behind the plate allowed her to round the bases without another Greyhound getting on base for a 1-0 lead. After a scoreless second inning, Altermatt added to the Cathedral lead with a double to bring home Wilson and Ashlyn Hillesheim to make it a 3-0 game.

Berkner led off the fourth inning with a home run, a line-drive shot over the left-centerfield fence. Sellner was able to reach first on an error, but a trio of strikeouts from Altermatt stopped the momentum to end the inning. Cathedral got on the scoreboard again in the fifth, with Thea Paszkiewicz reaching on an error and scoring on another error put into play by Altermatt, then Abbey Hillesheim hitting her home run for a 6-1 lead.

Sleepy Eye made it a 6-2 game after doubles from Berkner and Sellner in the sixth, but Ashlyn Hillesheim got that run back with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the inning. Wilson nearly made it back-to-back homers for the Greyhounds, but her hit bounced back from the top of the fence for a double instead. That was capitalized on by an error put into play by Altermatt to score Wilson for an 8-2 lead, a score that stood until the final strikeout from Altermatt to end the game.

Cathedral (13-2, 12-0) plays at Springfield in a doubleheader on Thursday, while Sleepy Eye (10-5, 7-3) hosts Springfield on Tuesday.