Southeast Valley softball traveled to Manson on Friday night for their second conference match-up of the week and it was an exciting one! The Jags saw a weather delay and another extra inning contest; this time, though, extras ended in favor of the Jaguars.

The Jags would find themselves behind right away in the first inning when the Cougars quickly scored two runs in the first inning and added another in the third. In their half of the fourth, the Jags would show some fight by plating two runs of their own. Senior Maddie Vansickle would throw the first punch by slicing a double through the right-center gap followed up by a single off the bats of Jordyn Rowley and Chloe Lambert. Rowley would score Camryn Lane (running for Vansickle) from second and freshman outfielder Rian Schlief got an RBI for herself on a sacrifice bunt perfectly placed down the first base line. With two outs on the board and a runner on third, the game would be paused for a weather delay. The delay cooled down the Southeast Valley bats and the momentum was lost when the inning resumed one hour later. 

Unfortunately for the Jaguars, MNW would answer back quickly in the fifth inning by scoring two more runs, bringing the score to 2-5 in favor of the Cougars. Southeast Valley had some fight left in their hearts and were able to tie up the score and even it at five a piece. Maddie Vansickle would, again, get the party started after reaching first on a Manson error and Chloe Lambert followed suit by taking advantage of another error made by the Cougar defense. Two runners were on base and freshman Rian Schlief stepped into the box. She would hit a solid single to the right side and score the courtesy runner (Camryn Lane) from second. The Jags were down 5-3 when junior second baseman Leilah Olson had her turn at the plate. After seeing two balls thrown her way, Olson would keep the Jags in the game after ripping a double over the right fielder’s head. Olson’s double would score Lambert and pinch runner Anna Corell to even the score at five. 

The Jags would battle with the Cougars through the sixth and seventh innings, bringing the Jags into their second extra innings game of the season. Chloe Lambert took over pitching duties from Maddie Vansickle in the fifth inning and was successful in keeping the Cougar bats off balance in the box to keep hope alive for the Jags. Lambert and the defense behind her made sure to retire the Cougars. 

The eighth inning would be the final inning of play and it was dramatic as could be! Chloe Lambert and Rian Schlief both got out in the 8th inning and that would bring up junior center fielder Alex Kitchen. With two outs on the board, Alex Kitchen called game looking the coach in the eye and confidently saying, “I’m hitting this over that fence.” That she did. Kitchen’s solo shot would put the Jags up by one carrying them into the bottom of the eighth inning. Lambert and the defense felt to momentum shift and closed the door on the Cougars, taking the game by a score of 6-5.

The dynamic duo of Maddi Vansickle and Chloe Lambert proved dominant on the mound. Vansickle faced 25 batters and gave just 8 hits, struck out 2 and only walked 2 through five complete innings of play. Lambert threw three innings and faced 9 batters. Chloe Lambert struck out five of the nine batters she saw, walked zero and allowed no hits thanks to the solid defense behind her. 

The Jaguars hold a conference record of 2-0 and an overall record of 4-4. Next week the Jags continue their run by hosting a JV contest against West Bend Mallard on Monday and visiting Emmetsburg, Clarion Goldfield Dows, and Alta Aurelia Tuesday through Friday.