by Scott DCamp
Sports Editor
Thief River Falls scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to break a 6-6 tie and claim an 11-6 softball win over Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal Thursday night at the Multi-Events Center.
Thursday’s game was the 2025 home opener for the Prowlers, who brought a 2-2 record into the game. The Prowlers defeated Warroad 16-0 in the season-opener on Tuesday, April 8. They dropped a pair of games at the Moorhead triangular on Friday, April 11, falling to Badger/Greenbush-Middle River by a score of 5-4, before getting blanked by Moorhead, 14-0. The Prowlers got back on track early last week with a 15-4 road win over Crookston.
The Prowlers and Titans were scoreless through one inning of play Thursday. The Titans got on the board in the top of the second, scoring three runs on one hit.
The Prowlers answered with four runs in the bottom half of the inning to take their first lead of the ballgame. Brooklyn Svendsgaard doubled to lead off the inning. She moved to third on a single by Raya Dahlin and scored on a sacrifice fly by Amery Rodriguez.
Dahlin tagged up and advanced to second on the sac fly by Rodriguez and went to third on the throw to the plate, before scoring on an RBI single by Sophia Tougas. Tougas moved to second on a walk by JaVayla Vondal-Gayden, and moved to third on a wild pitch by NCE/UH starting pitcher Izzy Ruud to TRF batter Nora Martell.
Ruud would eventually strikeout Martell on six pitches. Tougas scored on a throwing error by NCE/UH catcher Bella Madson, and Vondal-Gayden scored on an RBI single by Braylee Wienen that put the Prowlers in front 4-3.
The Prowlers added to their lead in the third and fourth innings. Ellie McDermott was hit by a pitch to lead off the third. She stole second, advanced to third on a groundout by Svendsgaard and scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-3 Prowlers.
Piper Greene reached base on a two-out single in the fourth. She stole second and scored on an error to put the Prowlers in front 6-3.
After two scoreless innings, the Titans got back on the board in top of the fifth inning. They sent nine batters to the plate in the inning and scored three runs on three hits, but left the bases loaded.
The three-run top of the fifth briefly tied the game 5-5. The Prowlers quickly untied things, however, with five runs in the bottom half of the inning. Svendsgaard and Dahlin singled and Rodriguez drew a five-pitch walk to load the bases. Tougas singled to drive in Skye Peters, who was pinch running for Svendsgaard, and Dahlin to make it 8-6. Vondal-Gayden doubled to drive in Rodriguez and Tougas to make it 10-6; and Martell singled to drive in Vondal-Gayden to make the score 11-6 in favor of the Prowlers.
The Prowlers and starting pitcher Mikaleena Bernier allowed just two Titan hitters to reach base over the final two innings as the Prowlers held on for the 11-6 win.
Bernier went the distance, allowing six runs, three of which were earned, on seven hits. She walked seven and struck out seven batters.
Ruud took the loss for the Titans. She also went the distance, allowing 11 runs, 10 earned on 11 hits, with six walks and three strikeouts.
Prowlers beat
Pirates in Crookston
Thief River Falls scored eight runs in the top of the first and added three more in the second on its way to a 15-4 six-inning win over Crookston on Tuesday, April 15.
Bernier pitched a complete game for the Prowlers, allowing three earned runs on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
Scoring runs for the Prowlers were Wienen (3), Greene (2), McDermott, Grace Gonzales, Svendsgaard (2), Rodriguez (2), Tougas (2), Alexie Walseth and Bernier.
Scoring
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
NCE….. 0 3 0 0 3 0 0 – 6 7 3
TRF…… 0 4 1 1 5 0 X – 11 11 1
Batting
NCE/UH AB R H RBI BB SO
Makenzi Juarez 3 1 1 3 1 1
Clair Brambrink 3 1 2 0 1 0
Izzy Ruud 3 0 0 0 1 1
Emmy Engen 3 0 0 0 1 2
Olivia Thues 3 1 1 2 1 0
Bella Madson 4 1 2 0 0 0
Gretchen Bain 3 1 1 1 1 1
Alissa Anderson 3 1 0 0 1 1
Kenzie Schenk 3 0 0 0 0 1
Totals 28 6 7 6 7 7
Highlights – 2B: Clair Brambrink,
Olivia Thues, Makenzi Juarez; SB: Bella Madson.
Thief River Falls AB R H RBI BB SO
Braylee Wienen 4 0 1 1 0 0
Piper Greene 4 1 1 0 0 0
Ellie McDermott 3 1 0 0 0 0
B. Svendsgaard 4 1 3 0 0 0
Raya Dahlin 3 2 2 0 1 0
Amery Rodriguez 2 1 0 1 1 1
Sophia Tougas 2 2 2 3 2 0
J. Vondal-Gayden 2 2 1 2 2 0
Nora Martell 3 0 1 1 0 2
Skye Peters 0 1 0 0 0 0
Miranda Novak 1 0 0 0 0 0
Alexie Walseth 1 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 29 11 11 8 6 3
Highlights – 2B: Brooklyn Svendsgaard, JaVayla Vondal-Gayden; HBP: Ellie McDermott; SB: Ellie McDermott, Braylee Wienen, Piper Greene, Nora Martell, JaVayla Vondal-Gayden.
Pitching
NCE/UH IP H R ER BB SO
Izzy Ruud 6.0 11 11 10 6 3
Thief River Falls IP H R ER BB SO
Mika Bernier 7.0 7 6 3 7 7
Scoring
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
TRF…. 8 3 0 0 0 4 X – 15 8 3
CHS…..0 0 0 1 3 0 X – 4 5 1
Batting
Thief River Falls AB R H RBI BB SO
Braylee Wienen 3 3 3 1 2 0
Piper Greene 2 2 1 0 1 0
Ellie McDermott 2 1 0 1 1 1
Grace Gonzales 1 1 1 1 0 0
B. Svendsgaard 2 2 0 1 2 0
Raya Dahlin 1 0 0 0 0 0
Amery Rodriguez 3 2 1 1 2 1
Sophia Tougas 2 2 2 2 2 1
J. Vondal-Gayden 2 0 0 0 0 0
Miranda Novak 1 0 0 2 0 0
Nora Martell 3 0 0 2 0 0
Alexie Walseth 1 1 1 1 0 0
Mika Bernier 2 1 0 0 2 0
Totals 25 15 9 12 12 3
Pitching
Thief River Falls IP H R ER BB SO
Mika Bernier 6.0 5 4 3 2 6
Crookston IP H R ER BB SO
Allysen Wagner 2.0 2 11 8 7 0
Emily Bowman 4.0 6 4 2 1 2