No. 8 Mankato West Edges Owatonna Baseball 2-1

Mankato West scored twice in the fifth inning for a 2-1 Big Nine Conference victory over Owatonna at Franklin Rogers Field in Mankato on Thursday night.

The Huskies scored in the top of the first, but only got one run despite a bases-loaded situation. Hits and runners were hard to come by the rest of the way. The Scarlets were also held in check by OHS starter Kodey Kiel. However, Mankato West manufactured the two-run fifth with a run-scoring hit and getting the other run on a pitch that got by the catcher. West had only a couple of hits in the game. Kiel and Noah Budach each had two hits, which were the only hits for the Huskies.

The Scarlets turned a game-ending double play in the seventh after Nolan Malo singled to represent the tying run. Owatonna returns to Mankato on Friday for a makeup game at East High School at 6:30PM.

OHS boys tennis split their matches on Thursday, beating Austin 7-0 and falling to Northfield 4-3. Owatonna boys golf was second in a triangular meet, behind Mankato West and in front of Rochester JM.

Medford baseball pulled away from NRHEG 12-1 in five innings. The Tigers had a six-run third inning to gain some breathing room. WEM topped Blooming Prairie 6-1 and Lyle/Pacelli edged Triton 6-5.

In local softball, Blooming Prairie won their 11th in a row with a 7-6 eight-inning win at WEM. Maya Lembke and Julia Worke each drove in two runs. NRHEG rallied for eight runs in the seventh to beat Medford 10-5. Grace Johns went 4-for-5 with three RBI for the Panthers.

Blooming Prairie boys golf finished third at a Gopher Conference meet at the Faribault Country Club. Maple River shot 176. USC came in with 181. BP shot 186. Tommy Braaten of the Blossoms was third with 43. BP's Taylor Christianson won the girls' event with 45.