By Fred Kroner
St. Joseph-Ogden’s softball team clubbed four more home runs on Wednesday (March 29) in a 12-0 triumph at Randy Wolken Field over visiting Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin.
The pitching win went to freshman Timera Blackburn-Kelley, who fired her first high school shutout and pitched her first complete game. In five innings, she yielded three hits, walked one and struck out two. Her season record is 2-0.
Addy Martinie had her second two-home-run game of the season. She drove in five runs. Shayne Immke and Emma McKinney each powered one home run. A freshman, the home run was the first for McKinney in her prep career.
In seven games, SJ-O batters have swatted 15 homers. Martinie has five. Alyssa Acton has four. Immke also has four.
Collecting two hits apiece against the Blue Devils were Acton, Halle Brazelton, Martinie and McKinney. Immke, Jones, Martinie and McKinney all tallied two runs. McKinney collected two RBI.
On Monday (March 27), Chillicothe IVC tallied two runs in the top of the ninth inning and made it hold up for a 7-5 extra-inning triumph at SJ-O in the Illini Prairie Conference softball opener at Randy Wolken Field for each school.
SJ-O forced extra innings when Acton socked a two-out, two-run seventh-inning home run over the right field fence against Butler University recruit Katie Petran to create a 5-5 deadlock after regulation.
Acton also belted a double.
Jones (4-for-5) was the offensive catalyst for SJ-O. She stole three bases and scored two runs. Immke contributed two hits, both triples. Immke also tallied two runs.
Blackburn-Kelley swiped two bases.
Acton pitched all nine innings, yielding 11 hits. She walked three batters and struck out six.
Petran struck out 18 SJ-O batters, including six different players who took called third strikes. Both pitchers allowed five earned runs.
The Spartans (4-3) return to action on Thursday (March 30) at St. Thomas More.
