Sports
Blaze Softball Suffers First Loss of the Season
Burnsville beats Virginia and Maple Grove, but losses 1-0 to Park of Cottage Grove in tournament championship
Class AA power Park of Cottage Grove knocked the Burnsville Blaze softball team from the ranks of the unbeaten Saturday afternoon, scoring a 1-0 victory in the finals of the eight-team Eastview tournament in Apple Valley.
Burnsville (13-1), ranked first in AAA, led off the tournament with an 11-3 win over Virginia and beat ninth-ranked AAA Maple Grove 1-0 in the second round.
Park (10-3) defeated host Eastview 5-2 and Eagan 4-3 to reach the championship game.
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In the finals, Park scored in the first inning on a Burnsville error and made the lead stand up the rest of the way.
In the second inning, Burnsville freshman Kelly Grove doubled, but the Blaze struggled to score the tying run.
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Senior pitcher Kelsey Anderson slowed Park's offense as the game went on and Burnsville kept working to tie the game. In the fourth inning, Anderson singled and courtesy runner Erica Belter was sacrificed to second. Burnsville again failed to get the big hit to tie the game.
Anderson pitched six innings, allowed five hits and struck out seven while Park pitcher Cassie MacArthur held Burnsville to five hits.
Burnsville 11, Virginia 3
In the top of the fourth inning of the tournament opener, Burnsville opened the game up behind freshman Kelly Grove's two-run home run. Burnsville added five more runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by junior Abby Harazin's 2-run home run, her third of the season.
Through three innings the game was knotted at three-all. Junior Dani Wolk pitched three very good innings and was relieved by junior Shannon Callanan.
Kelly Grove was 2-for-3 with a home run, 3 RBI and scored three runs, Abby Johnson was 3-for-4 with a double and a RBI and Abby Harazin was 3-for-4 with a homer, 2 RBI and two runs scored.
Burnsville 1, Maple Grove 0
Burnsville and Maple Grove (10-5) hooked up in a pitching duel in the second game. Leading off the sixth inning in a scoreless game, Burnsville junior Laura Nadeau dropped a drag bunt and reached third on a throwing error. Wolk hit a 0-2 pitch back up the middle to score Nadeau for the game-winner.
Anderson threw a one-hit shutout and struck out seven in seven innings.
Burnsville will honor legendary softball coach Pat Feely during Monday's home game against Lakeville North, starting at 4:15 p.m.
