MANKATO — Mankato East softball completed the sweep over Mankato West at Thomas Park Thursday.
The Cougars (12-3) claimed an 18-4 mercy triumph over the crosstown rival Scarlets (9-6). Both teams had their moments of brilliance. Both teams have areas to grow and improve.
But both teams also have fascinating dynamics down the stretch.
Seventh grade surge
There’s an adage in sports that you win with juniors and seniors, not freshmen and sophomores.
Well, whoever coined that clearly never watched high school sports in Minnesota. And who knows how’d they react if they had the chance to watch East softball this season, which has not one, but two seventh graders growing into their varsity roles in big ways.
First there’s outfielder London Hart. After Thursday’s win, she leads the Cougars in RBIs (21) and is tied with senior Harper Stangl in home runs (3). Hart, who extended her hitting streak to five games Thursday, is batting .378 with a .481 on-base percentage and a .689 slugging percentage.
Then there’s Chloe Grams, who’s pitched 79 of East’s 94 innings this season. She improved to 11-3 with a 2.92 ERA and a WHIP of 1.42 to go with 69 strikeouts to 17 walks after her second career win over West.
In the first two innings of the crosstown showdown, she was tested early. In fact, she issued all seven of her walks while firing 75 pitches.
“She’s going to keep getting better. But sometimes it’s the mental things,” Cougars head coach Joe Madson said of Grams, who’s about two years away from beginning driver’s education. “She gets down on herself pretty quickly. She has to learn that you can’t do that. You have to stay a lot more even keel.”
But she found a way to settle down, allowing two hits and issuing no walks in her final three innings, racking up 109 pitches in the win. Did having a lead in the final three frames help? Sure, that helps any pitcher.
But it’s also a big step forward in her development as a varsity pitcher.
“A lot of seventh graders are back in their bedrooms right now coloring in their coloring books, and she’s out here playing varsity softball and doing very, very well. She has to keep that in mind,” Madson said. “She’s just having fun. When she gets to be a junior/senior, there might be a little softball pressure, which is a good pressure. Having the time of her life is what you should be doing.
“If we’re counting on you as a seventh and eighth grader, that’s our fault.”
Scarlets became intriguing
Losing your starting first baseman and shortstop to season-ending injuries hurts West, just like it would any ball team.
So, the Scarlets have turned to the next players up. At shortstop it was freshman Erianna Ubongen. At first base it was eighth grader Olivia Grack, which left fellow eighth grader Cora Aanenson responsible in the pitcher’s circle.
It’s a vintage forged by fire scenario. Leading up to Thursday’s showdown against East, the new-look Scarlets were 5-1 and outsourcing their opponents 49-15.
The 18-4 loss to East saw West commit eight errors and not score a run after the second inning. This game also was the biggest game in the careers of these young players.
Yet, there were no “poor me” pity parties after the game. Sure, no one was happy with the outcome. But at the same time, no one hung their heads.
In reality this was a regular season game, not a section game where the season is on the line. This was merely a learning opportunity in a high-pressure game.
“They know it’s every game we play, we learn from our mistakes and we get better for the next one,” West head coach Sara Tostenson said. “They’re giving me everything that they can every single play. You can’t ask for more as a coach.”
West is now in a position where young players are gaining invaluable experience while still aiming for a section title. If that’s not intriguing, I don’t know what is.
Mitch Vosburg is a multi-time award-winning sports writer and photographer who proudly serves as sports editor for The Free Press. He can be reached at mvosburg@mankatofreepress.com. Follow him on X (@realmitchvburg) and on Instagram (@themantheycallmitch).