VOLGA – The Sioux Valley softball team got back on track on Tuesday night as the Cossacks defeated Redfield 10-3.

The Cossacks had lost four of the last five games heading into Tuesday’s contest and five runs in the final three innings allowed them to pick up the victory over the Pheasants.

Sioux Valley went ahead 2-0 in the top of the first inning. Kassidy Smith drew a walk to begin the inning and Morgan Lemme followed her with an RBI double. Lemme then stole third and scored on a steal of home to give the Cossacks a two-run lead.

The Pheasants would then tie the game in the bottom of the inning. Back-to-back doubles put runners on second and third with two outs and a hit batter loaded the bases up. A single then scored one run and another hit batter made it 2-2 heading into the second.

Neither team scored in the second inning and the Cossacks were able to regain the lead in the third. Smith led off the inning with another walk and Lemme followed with another double to put runners on second and third. Riley Stirling then hit a single through the left side of the infield and that sent both runners home to make it 4-2.

The Cossacks added another run in the fourth. Amelia Jacobson reached on an error to begin the inning and Smith then hit an RBI single to make it 5-2. Redfield cut the lead back to two in the bottom of the inning with an RBI double.

That would be the final run of the game for the Pheasants as the Cossacks outscored them 5-0 in the final three innings.

Sioux Valley scored three runs in the fifth. Stirling reached on an error to begin the inning and Abby Axtell followed with a single. Stirling scored on an error and Jacobson hit Axtell home with a single. Jacobson then came around to score on an Alaina Ohmann single and that made it 8-3 heading into the sixth.

The Cossacks stretched the lead to 10-3 in the sixth. Lemme reached on an error and Stirling followed with a single. Lemme was caught stealing home but Axtell advanced Stirling to third with a single. Axtell advanced to second with a single and Zaylee Lantgen then hit both runners home with a single to give the Cossacks a seven-run lead heading into the final inning where both teams were held scoreless.

Sioux Valley had 14 hits as a team. Stirling was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Lantgen was 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Lemme was 2-for-5 with an RBI, Smith was 1-for-3 with an RBI and Jacobson and Ohmann were each 1-for-4 with an RBI.

Axtell pitched the first six innings for the Cossacks. She gave up three earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and a walk. Lantgen pitched the final inning and gave up one hit.
Sioux Valley is now 11-5 and plays a doubleheader at Oldham-Ramona-Rutland on Friday starting at 4 p.m.