In a game that saw the action interrupted twice by lightning, it was the Estherville-Lincoln Central bats striking when it mattered most in a 5-2 win over Spirit Lake in Lakes Conference softball on Friday. The Midgets scored three in the first inning to jump out early, before the Indians narrowed it to a one-run game in the top of the fourth. But ELC came right back with two of their own in the bottom half for the win. Kendall Bosch struck out ten batters to pick up the victory. Macy Dahl had two hits, a RBI and a run scored for Estherville, which clinched a share of the 2011 Lakes Conference title. Alissa Christoffer tallied two hits, Emily Mercer drove in a run and Paige Krause scored once for Spirit Lake. Sami Ashland took the loss despite holding ELC to eight hits and four earned runs. The Midgets are 12-1 in the league and 18-8 overall. Spirit Lake drops to 5-7 in conference and 18-13 on the year.
Harris-Lake Park traveled to Corwith-Wesley-Luverne for a Cornbelt Conference doubleheader, however, the teams were only able to get one game completed due to rain and lightning. The Wolves went off in the first game, winning 23-9. Anna Brandt was 5-for-5 with a home run, six RBI and four runs scored. Emily Anderson had three hits, five runs batted in and scored four times. Grace Winters notched four hits, while Lydia Brandt and Macy Gunderson each had three apiece. Gunderson pitched to the win, allowing eight hits and striking out five. HLP led 4-0 in the second game following a Lydia Brandt home run before the bad weather rolled in. The win puts Harris-Lake Park at 9-19 overall and 6-9 in the league.
Okoboji hosted MOC-Floyd Valley for a Siouxland Conference showdown on Friday, but the Dutch would sneak out of town with a narrow 6-5 victory. The Pioneers have an 19-10 record on the season and 7-6 in conference.
