The Superior High School girls softball team followed up a split at the Hibbing Tournament with a split with a doubleheader split with Grand Rapids Monday evening at Liebaert Field.
The Spartans won the opener Monday 10-3, but then lost the nightcap 4-3.
Taylor Thompson picked up the win in the opener for Superior, allowing eight hits with two strikeouts and three walks. She also had two hits and an RBI along with Taylor Johnson.
Also for the Spartans, Ari Jago scored three runs; Taylor Nelson had two hits and three RBIs; Rachal Fregin had two hits; Emily Hansen had a hit and RBI; Kaitlyn Mergen had a hit and two RBIs; and Jessica Lindstrom singled.
Anya Olson suffered the loss for the Thunderhawks, allowing 10 hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
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Superior led 2-0 in the second game until Grand Rapids scored all four of its runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Spartans scored a third run in the top of the seventh, but were unable to tie the game.
Alison Wainionpaa suffered the loss for Superior, allowing four hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
Lexi Koerbitz was the winner for Grand Rapids, allowing 10 hits with two strikeouts and one walk.
Hansen led Superior at the plate with three hits. Mergen added two hits and scored twice; Fregin was 2-for-3 with an RBI; Tailor Schuster singled in a run; Kari Miller doubled; and Johnson singled.
Superior hosts Duluth Denfeld at 4:30 p.m. today at Liebaert Field. Also this week they play at Northwestern at 5 p.m. Thursday and in the Bloomer Tournament on Saturday.
SPARTAN SPIN: The SHS junior varsity lost both games, 5-3 and 5-4.
Game 1
Grand Rapids 200 000 1 -- 3 10 2
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Superior 010 126 x -- 10 12 0
Game 2
Superior 000 101 1 -- 3 10 3
Grand Rapids 000 004 x -- 4 4 1
Hibbing Tournament
The Spartans defeated the host Blue Jackets 14-2 in five innings but then lost to Eveleth-Gilbert 7-6 Friday at the Hibbing Tournament.
Against Hibbing, Wainionpaa was the winning pitcher, allowing two hits with five walks and nine strikeouts.
Offensively for the Spartans, Lindstrom was 3-for-4 with four RBIs, two triples, a double and two runs scored; Johnson was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored; Hansen tripled, singled, knocked in two runs and scored two others; Mergen had two hits with two RBIs and a run scored; Nelson tripled, doubled, knocked in two runs and scored two others; Wainionpaa doubled in a run; Schuster doubled and Miller had an RBI single.
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Against E-G, Superior tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Golden Bears scored the winning run in the top of the seventh.
Shannon Johnstad suffered the loss in relief of Wainionpaa. Johnstad allowed one run on a hit and walk in 2 1/3 innings. Wainionpaa worked the first 4 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on six hits, four walks and four strikeouts.
Hitting leaders for Superior were Hansen, 4-for-5 with an RBI; Kaitlin Heinen, double, single and two runs scored; Schuster, two RBIs; Mergen, double; Johnson, single, RBI, run scored; and Rachal Fregin, a single.
The Bears scored their winning run in the seventh inning on single and three passed balls.
Superior threatened to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Fregin reached on a one-out, infield single but was forced out at second on Johnson's fielder's choice. Johnson moved to third on Hansen's single, but the game ended when Lindstrom's line drive to center was caught.
"We played two games of errorless defense and hit the ball well, particularly in the first game," SHS coach Amy Zembo said. "We just couldn't get all of the key hits we needed in the second game, when we had runners in scoring position in every inning."
SPARTAN SPIN: The SHS JV won the championship by defeating Hibbing 14-4 and Eveleth-Gilbert 9-6. Heinen was the winning pitcher in the first game and Morgan Leinon won game two.
Game 1
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Hibbing 200 00 -- 2 2 2
Superior 417 2x -- 14 16 0
Game 2
Eveleth-Gilbert 103 020 1 -- 7 7 4
Superior 020 112 0 -- 6 10 0
