Alex Eisen/MDN Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark base runner Kennedy Limke (left) steals second base before Velva's Chloe Bourdeau (19) can apply the tag in a girls softball game played Wednesday evening in Velva.

VELVA — The return of competitive softball in Velva went until sundown Wednesday evening. The visiting Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark Lakers took Game 1, 4-3, and Velva bounced back with a 7-3 win in a four-inning shortened Game 2 due to darkness.

“It’s awesome,” Velva head coach Fred Mueller said about playing at home after the high school season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Especially for the seniors, who get this last hooray with their last home game ever and a senior night. It was fun to see.”

In the opening game, the Lakers played their version of small ball to score the first two runs. A pitch to the backstop allowed DLBLC to score in the top of the first inning and a double steal of second base and home in the third inning plated the other run.

Both runs came off Velva starting pitcher Emma Passa, who was then replaced by Olivia Passa for three innings before Emma returned and closed out the seven-inning contest.

“Olivia was going to pitch a little bit in the second game and she is playing with travel teams, so I didn’t want to overthrow her,” Mueller said. “I flip-flopped them a little bit and got Emma a little bit of work too.”

The Aggies tied the first game at 2-2 on a spinner in the dirt, which allowed Grace Mogen to reach first base safely in the third inning, and Olivia Passa powered in an RBI single in the next frame.

DLBLC’s Brynley Benno split Emma Passa, now in center field, and right fielder Halle Keller for a two-run double to break the deadlock, 4-2.

Emma Passa scored the next run in the bottom half of the fifth when she collided with the third baseman rounding the bag and was given the interference call to negate being tagged out at home.

DLBLC left the bases loaded in the top of the sixth inning. Emma Passa, back in the circle, worked out of the stressful jam to keep the deficit down to a single run.

“It was a fun, competitive game,” DLBLC head coach Peggy Person said. “This is why we missed softball. It’s because of games like this.”

Brooklyn Benno closed out a complete-game performance with a groundout and two strikeouts to seal a 4-3 Lakers road victory.

Before getting the final strikeout, DLBLC first baseman Alyea Casavant was knocked over by Emma Passa rounding first base. Passa was awarded second base, much to the displeasure of the DLBLC fans. Casavant eventually got back to her feet and was helped to the dugout.

Brooklyn Benno eased some of the pain by bringing home the win.

“She battles and is as tough as nails,” Person said about Benno. “Mentally and physically. That was her game.”

Mueller added: “I thought we could have hit a little better, and (Benno) just got a few too many strikeouts on us.”

The Aggies recognized their seniors during the intermission.

The nightcap started at 8:33 p.m. and the race was on to get the contest in before the game was called off due to darkness.

The Lakers scored twice in the top of the first inning on a throwing error over to first base and an RBI single by Benno. A wild pitch made it 3-0, although that run didn’t make it onto the scoreboard right away.

Velva answered with three runs in the bottom of the second inning to knot the score up again. The Aggies capped a streak of seven unanswered runs in the next inning to go up 7-3.

In the middle of DLBLC’s at-bats in the fourth inning, the contest was ended due to darkness. Regardless, at the end of the night, the final scores didn’t mean much.

“We are doing this to give these kids a chance to play,” Person said. “If they don’t play, then it’s well over a year (since they have played). Their skills would diminish, and you want to keep the kids interested in the game.”

Both teams will play again next Wednesday, June 24. DLB will host its first doubleheader against Wilton-Washburn starting at 5:30 p.m. while Velva will play two games on the road against Harvey.

Alex Eisen covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.