Minnesota West opens softball season, splits with Rochester

The Minnesota West softball team opened its season at home Tuesday afternoon and split a doubleheader with Rochester, losing the first game 3-1 and winning the second 15-10.

In the opener, the visiting Yellow Jackets scored single runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings to build a 3-0 lead. The Lady Jays, though, got one back in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI triple by freshman Worthington High grad Hannah McNab. They then threatened in the seventh  — loading the bases on a Jayda Hellewell single, a Rochester error and infield hit for Kya Alderson — but the last two batters were retired.

Raya Van Beek suffered the hard-luck pitching loss for Minnesota West, striking out 10 in a complete-game effort while allowing no earned runs and just three hits. The Lady Jays had five hits in all -- McNab had a single to go along with her triple, and Payton Riemers and Ayla Texley also had base hits.

In game two, the Lady Jays pounded out 19 hits in and overtook Rochester with a five-run fifth. Trailing 10-8 starting the inning, Hellewell's bases-loaded single knotted the score, and Anistasia Smith followed with a base hit that put Minnesota West ahead to stay. Back-to-back doubles from Cassie Boyum and Alderson, along with an RBI single from Van Beek, netted two insurance runs in the sixth.

Hellewell connected for three singles and a double to pace the offense. Alderson had two singles and a double and drove in three runs. Van Beek had three singles and three RBIs while scoring twice, and Boyum had a pair of two-baggers and scored four times.

Grace Nath pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Alderson

The Lady Jays will next play on April 8, when they travel to St. Cloud Tech for a doubleheader.

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The Worthington High School girls and boys track and field meet, girls and boys golf meet, and softball game were all postponed Tuesday because of weather.