Out to a fast start

MINSTER - It may have been the opening game for Minster's softball team, but the offense looked to be in midseason form.

The Wildcats plated nine in the bottom of the first inning against Celina and added two more in the bottom of the fifth to pick up a 12-2 run-rule victory at Four Seasons Park on Tuesday.

Minster sent 12 batters to the plate in the first with the big blow coming on a two-run single by Rylin Trego off Bulldogs starter Paige Kuehne. Then, after Lyndi Hemmelgarn singled, Savanah Bergman took a pitch from reliever Samantha Jenkins over the left-centerfield fence to make it 9-0.

The Wildcats had five hits and took advantage of three walks and two hit batters along with two errors.

"We did that in scrimmages," Minster coach Robb Hemmelgarn said about the offensive burst. "Our message tonight was to be disciplined at the plate and have good focus in pregame. We did that, and good things happened."

After the first, Jenkins settled down and just allowed one run over the next three innings.

"Take away that first inning, it's maybe a 4-2 game," said Celina coach Jason Tribolet. "We're competitive. We showed those signs last year. We talked about having a couple of them step up."

Minster starting pitcher Mikaela Hoskins opened with two no-hit innings before Samantha Jacobs led off the third with a clean single.

The Bulldogs got the offense going in the fourth inning as Payton Bertke led off with a double and Sydnee Davis followed with a shot over the left-center wall to make it 9-2. In the fifth inning, Celina had runners at first and third with one out before Hoskins got a strikeout and flyout to center to keep the Bulldogs to inching closer.

"That was another potential game-changer," said Tribolet. "We had a couple of girls on at second and third and couldn't find that hit. That's (more) potential runs. Who knows what that does to the game. Does (Minster) change pitchers? Does it rattle them? It certainly would have got us back into the game."

That proved to be big for Minster as Trego led off the bottom of the fifth by reaching on an error and Hemmelgarn singled to put two on for Bergman, who grounded hard back to the pitching circle with Trego scoring on the throw to first to make it 11-2. With Hoskins at the plate, Hemmelgarn beat the tag on a wild pitch to end the game.

Hoskins scattered five hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

"We had four girls starting their first varsity games tonight," said coach Hemmelgarn. "We put a lot of pressure on the defense. If Mikaela hit some rough spots, she had to trust (her defense). They really came up big when we needed them to."

Bergman and Hemmelgarn each had two hits and scored three times. Trego and Emma Goubeaux each drove in two runs.

Davis had two of the five Celina hits on the day.

Both teams are back in action on Thursday. Minster travels to Lincolnview in a rematch from last season's district final and Celina plays host to Parkway.