The Southeast Valley softball team tallied their sixth win on the season and their second in conference play in Harcourt on Wednesday night. The Jags took on the E-Hawks from Emmetsburg and came away with the victory by a score of 3-2. 

The Jaguars continue their streak of being the first to score in their half of the first inning. Senior shortstop Ellie Nolte led things off reaching first after being hit by a pitch. Moving Nolte to second was junior infielder Chloe Lambert. Lambert’s bat continues to stay hot through nine contests, hitting a single to the left side. Both Lambert and Nolte would advance on a passed ball, putting both runners in scoring position for sophomore Rian Schlief. Schlief would hit to the left side, scoring Nolte from third. Lambert would force the fielder’s choice, allowing Schlief to reach first safely and leaving the Jags with two still safely on base for sophomore Camryn Lane. Lane would stay tough in the box and be hit by the pitch to load the bases for Southeast Valley in the first, but unfortunately, the Jags weren’t able to capitalize. Emmetsburg would respond in the top of the second with a run of their own to tie up the score 1-1. The score would remain knotted until the fifth inning when the E-Hawks would take the lead 2-1, but the Jags didn’t give up and had an answer of their own in the bottom half of the fifth inning. Chloe Lambert would again single to left field followed by back to back singles from senior Jordyn Rowley and Rian Schlief (scoring Lambert to even the score at 2-2). Rowley would reach third and Schlief on second after an error by the Emmetsburg left fielder for Camryn Lane. Lane would lay down a squeeze bunt in an attempt to score Rowley from third, but it would not work out in the Jags’s favor. Rowley would be tagged out, while Lane reached safely on the fielder’s choice and Schlief advanced to third. The winning run of the game would be the result of a high fly off the bat of junior Lauren Eslick. Eslick’s towering ball would be mishandled by the Emmetsburg left fielder and that error would score Schlief from third, bringing the score to 3-2 in favor of the Jags. 

Defensively, the Jags were sound and executed plays when it mattered most. Rian Schlief started in the circle and threw for 5 ⅔ innings. She faced 21 batters and managed to retire 15 of them with the help of her defense behind her. She had two strikeouts on the night. Lambert took over for 2 ⅔ innings to close the game and seal the win for the Jags. Lambert faced nine batters, retiring seven and striking out two herself. 

After their game with Emmetsburg, the Jags sit with a record of six wins and three losses (2-1 in conference play). They look to continue to add to the “win” column against the Cowgirls from Clarion-Goldfield-Dows in Harcourt on Thursday night.