Kari Gibb/MDN The Des Lacs-Burlington softball team huddles at the pitcher’s circle prior to the start of an inning of play. The Lakers have gone undefeated at the Class B Region 3 Softball Tournament and qualified for the state tournament

The Des Lacs-Burlington softball team beat the Rugby Panthers on Monday, May 20, and the Bottineau Stars in a tight game on Tuesday and finished up by beating the top seeded Renville County Mavericks Wednesday 11-5. With the win, the Lakers ensured they are headed for the 2024 NDHSAA Class B Softball State Tournament which will be held May 30-June 1 at Lyle “Trapper” Lawrence Field located in Jamestown.

The Renville County Mavericks also will be headed to the state softball tournament after winning the final play-in slot at the end of the day Wednesday against the Bottineau Stars.

Des Lacs/Burlington 11, Renville County 5

Des Lacs-Burlington built a solid 3-1 lead after three innings of play. The fourth inning of play set the tone for the rest of a very competitive game. The errors in the fourth would also play a part in the game.

Piper Feller hit a single with one out to reach base. With a second out with the next batter, an error by the Mavericks allowed Logen Ystaas to reach first and advance Feller. Cambrey Benno was then walked to load the bases. Sierra Yale hit a hard double that scored Feller and Ystaas and Benno also scored on an error.

Zannah Bjerklie hit a grounder and reached first on another error and scored the fourth run of the inning, giving the Lakers the 7-1 lead.

The Mavericks would respond with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut the lead to 7-4, and another run at the bottom of the fifth to come within two runs. The Lakers would widen the gap with a two run sixth and a two run seventh for the 11-5 final score.

As a team, Des Lacs-Burlington was 8-for-34 at the plate. Gretchen Deaver was 3-for-4 in the game while Ystaas, Benno, Yale, Bjerklie and Feller each added their hits to the tally sheet. Yale pitched seven innings and allowed five runs on six hits with an earned run mark of four runs. She walked three batters and had six strikeouts in the effort.

The Mavericks were 6-for-30 as a team and had five errors compared to two for the Lakers. Addison Mach and Marleigh Henry were each 2-for-4 while Jordyn Moberg was 2-for-3 at the plate. Ginger Savelkoul pitched five innings and allowed nine runs on seven hits with an earned run mark of four runs. She walked three batters and had seven strikeouts in the game. Olivia Ogaard pitched two innings and allowed two runs on one hit with an earned run tally of zero runs in relief.

Bottineau 11, Ray 1

Bottineau scored three runs at the bottom of the first inning of play and never lost the lead, winning 11-1 to continue in the tournament. The biggest offensive period was the bottom of the fourth inning when the Stars added five runs to make the score 9-1 to start the fifth inning.

Bottineau was 14-for-31 batting and had only one team error. Camryn Tweed was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs in the win. Lydia LaFromboise was 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the game. Kaia Hennings was 2-for-4 at the plate and pitched six innings. She allowed one run on one hit with an earned run stat line of zero runs. She also walked three batters and tallied 12 strikeouts in the game.

Ray was 1-for-18 as a team with five errors. The sole hit was by Autumn Bloms who was 1-for-2 at the plate. Brinlee Cancade pitched five and one-third innings and allowed 11 runs on 14 hits with an earned run mark of six runs. She walked two batters and struck out six in the game.

Renville County 7, Bottineau 2

The Mavericks took a 1-0 lead at the bottom of the first and added a second run at the bottom of the fourth and held the 2-0 until the top of the sixth inning when Bottineau scored a run. Renville County then got offense on track with five runs at the bottom of the sixth for a 7-1 lead. The Stars would try to catch up at the top of the seventh but were only able to add one extra run in the end.

The Mavericks were 4-for-24 at the plate with no errors in the game as a team. Taya Aufforth, Savelkoul, Ogaard and Nevaeh Juntunen each had hits in the game. Savelkoul pitched seven innings and allowed two runs on three hits. She also walked six batters and tallied 14 strikeouts in the game.

The Stars were 3-for-23 in the game with three errors as a team. Morgan Schweitzer, LaFromboise, and Jaelyn Grant each had hits in the effort. Hennings pitched six innings and allowed seven runs on four hits with an earned run tally of five runs. She walked nine batters and recorded 14 strikeouts in the game.