Sleepy Eye bounced back from a 8-2 loss to New Ulm Cathedral on Monday and improves to 11-5 overall and 8-3 in conference play.

“We had to focus on what went well and what went wrong last game and bring it into this game,” Berkner said. “Wash our mistakes and just embrace the ups and downs that we have. They’re going to happen, but we have to look for the positives and always do our best.”

Sleepy Eye and Springfield were back to back in the Section 2A standings by QRF coming into the game, and Sleepy Eye’s win may well determine a seeding advantage when the section tournament begins on May 19.

“We’re going to have to control our mental game more,” Berkner said. “Softball is a lot more mental and less physical. If we can stay on top of our mental game, then we’ll be alright, because our skills, we have skills, we have talent, it’s just we have to believe in ourselves and know that we can do it.”

Staff photo by Ari Selvey Springfield’s Kendall Krueger slides into third as Sleepy Eye’s Lexi Hoffmann covers the base during a Tomahawk Division softball game Tuesday at Riverside Park.

Berkner allowed one earned run and three hits to go along with her 11 strikeouts in the complete-game win.

“I thought I set up my pitches pretty well,” Berkner said. “My goal was to get ahead, because they’ve got good hitters on that team. I wanted to get ahead and watch where they stood in the box and work around the zone a little bit. Just mixing up my pitches is what works well for me.”

Sleepy Eye plays a doubleheader against Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s on Thursday.

At the plate for Sleepy Eye, Jaelynn Schauman was 3 for 4 with her home run, while Berkner was 3 for 4 with an RBI. Jace Schauman had two hits and two runs scored.

Regan Beadell took the loss for Springfield, striking out nine and allowing five earned runs on 13 hits in seven innings of work. At the plate, Kendall Krueger was 2 for 2, while Abby Groebner added the other Springfield hit.

Staff photo by Ari Selvey Springfield’s Makay Winkelmann (10) tags out Sleepy Eye’s Aubree Rathman (3) at home during a Tomahawk Division softball game Tuesday at Riverside Park.

“We just need to keep doing what we’re doing, but string hits together,” Springfield head coach Katie Wilhelmi said. “Get that timely hit to get them in. Overall, the girls played really, really well. I’m proud of how hard they played. We just need to stay patient and look for our pitch and string our hits together.”

Jace Schauman had a leadoff hit before Jaelynn Schauman connected on her two-run homer in the next at bat. Neither team scored in the second inning, but Sleepy Eye made it a 3-0 game in the third as Aubree Rathman came home on a groundout put into play by Kenley Jensen. Springfield put up its first run in the bottom of the fourth inning as Groebner singled and Krueger walked, then both advanced a base on a wild pitch. Groebner scored in the next at-bat as Beadell grounded out, but a pair of strikeouts by Berkner ended the inning without further damage. Sleepy Eye got that run back in the top of the fifth, with Lexi Hoffmann doubling to bring home Megan Sellner for a 4-1 lead.

Sleepy Eye loaded up the bases in the sixth as Madison Siefert, Jace Schauman and Jaelynn Schauman all singled to open the inning. A pair of errors put into play by Callie Evers and Taylor Berkner scored a run each as Sleepy Eye went up 6-1, but the Springfield defense came together, with Beadell taking a grounder hit back to her home to save a run and then closing the inning with a pair of strikeouts. Krueger hit a single and scored on wild pitch later that inning to cut the lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the inning, but the Tigers were unable to muster another run as Berkner orchestrated a 1-2-3 seventh inning to end the game.

Springfield continued its day with a game against Edgerton, which it lost 11-7. Beadell took the loss, striking out four while allowing five earned runs on 12 hits in another complete game. At the plate, Makay Winkelmann was 3 for 5 with two RBIs, while Jada Reese was 2 for 4. Krueger, Groebner and Beadell each had a hit and an RBI.

Springfield (9-8, 8-3) continues to ramp up for the section tournament as it faces Cathedral in a home doubleheader on Thursday.

“We’ve been improving every week,” Wilhelmi said. “The girls are in a great mindset. We’ve been playing some really tough competition to prepare for sections, and I think it’s just time for them to do what they know how to do and show what they’re capable of.”