Justin Martinez/MDN DLBLC sophomore Ava Wille connects on a pitch during the Lakers’ 12-7 win over Bishop Ryan on Monday at the South Hill Softball Complex.

Zero. Zilch. Goose egg.

That’s how many runs the Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark Lakers scored against the Bishop Ryan softball team in their season opener on April 4. In all fairness, the Lions only managed to bring in one run off a wild pitch in a low-scoring 1-0 victory, but that was little consolation for the Lakers.

A loss still was a loss, and they weren’t about to forget it any time soon.

“We’re both good teams, and there’s definitely a bit of a rivalry there,” DLBLC sophomore Brooklyn Benno said. “We were trying to get the kinks out that game (on April 4), but we knew what we needed to do today. We had to get the bats going.”

Next time things would be different.

Red-and-black jerseys crossed home plate seemingly at will on Monday, as DLBLC exacted its revenge over Ryan at the South Hill Softball Complex. By the time the final out was recorded, the scoreboard read 12-7 in favor of the Lakers.

“It’s a big win,” DLBLC head coach Peggy Person said. “It was just one of those games where we were ready to break out a little bit in terms of hitting. Some of our kids did that today, so that was really nice to see.”

Benno led the charge in the early going.

With runners on second and third base in the top of the first inning, the sophomore connected on a pitch from Ryan’s star pitcher Sidney Lovelace and dropped a blooper into the outfield. The ball sailed just over the head of Ryan’s Abbie McKay at third base and fell in, narrowly staying in play and allowing a runner to come home.

Still leading 1-0 in the top of the third inning, Benno struck once again with another RBI single to double the Lakers’ lead. DLBLC’s dugout, along with a pack of away fans, were loving every second of the dominant showing.

“It definitely helps build confidence when we can get on the board right away,” Benno said. “When we score first we’re able to relax a bit and play our own game. We play better when we’re relaxed and having fun.”

But the Lakers weren’t the only team that got their bats going, as Ryan came out swinging in the bottom of the third.

After being gifted an unearned run off an error by DLBLC pitcher Erica Hermanson, the Lions took the lead thanks to Grace Candrian. The junior pulled the trigger on a throw from Hermanson and sent it into right field. By the time DLBLC’s MacKenzie Rist could gather the ball, two runs had already scored to give Ryan a 3-2 edge.

Unfazed, the Lakers had a response.

Sophomore Ava Wille knotted the score at three runs apiece in the top of the fourth inning with an RBI groundout, and Rist came up big with a booming shot up the heart of the Lions’ defense for an RBI double to give her team a slim 4-3 edge.

Now, with momentum back on their side, the Lakers began to pile on.

Tied at four in the top of the first inning, DLBLC erupted for three runs to blow the game wide open. The exclamation point came from Wille, who got every last bit of a pitch from Lovelace and sent it into right field for an RBI single that pushed the lead to 7-4.

The Lakers went on to add five more runs in the top of the seventh inning. None other than Benno capped off the scoring spree with a double that plated two runs and gave DLBLC a 12-4 edge.

“It was a game of runs, for sure,” Person said. “I’m really proud of our kids’ perseverance, though. They came back each time they kind of folded a little bit.”

Little did the Lakers know, the extra five runs of insurance were going to be crucial.

Ryan tallied three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning before Benno finally got the last out in relief of Hermanson to secure DLBLC’s 12-7 victory.

“Our team never stops fighting until the game is over,” Ryan head coach Alec Grothe said. “I couldn’t ask for more from them. It was a tough loss. We’ll hang our heads on it, but we’ll come back and get them again.”

Benno finished with a perfect 4-for-4 showing at the plate, five RBIs, a run and two doubles in the win. For the Lions, Candrian recorded four RBIs and a run on 3-for-4 hitting.

Next up for Ryan is a quick turnaround against Velva/Drake-Anamoose today on the road at 4:30 p.m. DLBLC will wait for its regular-season finale on Friday at Beulah. First pitch is also scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Justin Martinez covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JTheSportsDude.