Mike Kradt/MDN Minot’s Julianna Verni winds up to deliver a pitch during Sunday’s game against Mankato at Corbett Field. Verni pitched a complete-game two-hitter in the victory, striking out 11.

The Minot Honeybees appear to have returned to their winning ways following a rough stretch that saw them drop 5 of 6 games.

A big reason for the turnaround has simply been a numbers game, specifically when it comes to the roster. The Honeybees found themselves staring at a roster that included just 12 players during that slump, but now that they are back to a full 17-player crew, the wins are returning as well.

The Honeybees have now won 3 of their last 4 contests following a pair of victories against Mankato over the weekend, highlighted by two dominating pitching performances by Jackie Albrecht and Julianna Verni. Albrecht went the distance in Saturday’s 6-2 victory, allowing five hits and striking out five. Verni followed with a gem of her own in Sunday’s 3-1 win, tossing a complete-game two-hitter, striking out 11 and carrying a no-hitter into the fifth.

“The game is about pitching and most of the season we’ve been scoring a lot of runs, but our pitches had done good… they’d done OK,” Minot coach Craig Montvidas said. “Too many walks, and the last two games they were eliminated. There will be some walks. We played really good softball the last two games. It was off the charts yesterday with Jackie and today with Julianna. They are two very good pitchers and when they are consistent like that, they are tough.”

The Habaneros (10-10) plated two runs in the top of the first inning, but were silenced the rest of the way by Albrecht and the defense behind her. Albrecht allowed just five base runners over the final six innings and at one point had retired 11 straight batters from the end of the second inning to the beginning of the sixth.

The Honeybees (10-8) scored all six runs during that stretch, including a 3-run home run off the bat of Makenna Alexander in the second inning to put Minot in front 3-2, a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Alexander picked up her fourth RBI of the night on a sacrifice fly in the fourth to score Bella Cimino. Trinity Gregg would later draw a bases-loaded walk to plate Olivia Lenzen for a 5-2 advantage.

Lenzen would cap off the scoring in the fifth with a sacrifice fly to score Shannon Nelson.

Sunday was more of the same formula – dominating pitching and timely hitting. Verni returned to the Honeybees’ roster for the first time since pitching against Wausau on June 19. In fact, she didn’t arrive back in Minot until earlier in the day, but none of that seemed to phase her. Instead, Verni pitched her best game of the season, striking out a season-best 11 batters and taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning. Verni surrendered just two hits over seven innings, both coming in the fifth inning where the Habaneros would score their lone run of the contest.

“I was trying to mix speeds and work with my catcher,” Verni said. “Both Olivias are great catchers so communicating with them the whole time and just being there for my team.”

Mankato scratched across its lone run on a single to center to score opposing pitcher Sailor Hall. The Habaneros threatened to do more damage, putting runners on second and third with one out, but Verni got out of the jam by getting Indigo Fish to pop out to shallow center and grounding Skylinn Pogue into a fielder’s choice. Mankato put just one runner on base over the final two innings.

“They pose a challenge,” Verni said of the Mankato hitters. “They move around a lot in the box, so you have to adjust to where they are and what they’re looking for, so it’s just keeping them on their toes.”

When Montvidas went out for a mound visit to calm down his team, he couldn’t help but notice a different, more positive demeanor in his club’s play that hadn’t been there in previous games.

“Everything that happened that inning, we were backing up the bases, throws were to the right person for the cutoff. It looked the way softball is supposed to look,” Montvidas said. “They got the one run and we stopped the bleeding and in the past that’s where we’ve had the problem. It’s like the Band-Aid gets ripped off and that’s what’s crazy about our sport. You’re only up 2-1 and then there’s a walk and then someone gets a lucky hit and then one gets hit up in the air and they’ve got three runs. It can happen in a heartbeat.”

Verni faced a tad bit of adversity in the sixth, but it had nothing to do with her. Lenzen – her starting catcher – hurt her throwing shoulder attempting to throw out Mankato’s Joscelyn Bennett stealing second in the sixth inning and had to leave the game, replaced by another Olivia – Olivia Hernandez. But it was business as usual for Verni, who put down all five Mankato batters she faced once Hernandez came in to catch.

She didn’t need much in the way of run support, but Verni got it thanks in part to the long ball. Taylor Chillingworth hit a solo shot to center in the second inning and Cimino did the same in the fourth. The Honeybees have hit 17 home runs so far this season, with Chillingworth leading the way with four.

Minot added a third run in the fifth to counter Mankato, as Gregg singled home Alexander.

Verni improved to 3-0 with the Honeybees this season, lowering her ERA to 3.09 after pitching her second consecutive complete game. She’s allowed just two runs combined in her last 14 innings on the mound.

“You just have to believe in it,” Verni said. “If you believe in it then you have your best stuff.”

Verni outdueled Hall, who took the hard-luck loss despite a solid performance herself. Hall also pitched a complete game, allowing three runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking three.

The Honeybees are back in action tonight against Wausau at 6:35 p.m. at Corbett Field.

Mike Kraft/MDN
Minot’s Bella Cimino puts a ball in play during Sunday’s game against Mankato at Corbett Field. Cimino hit her third home run of the season in the third inning.