Softball Recap: Dynamic Duo of Venna Veglahn and Hope Hendriks Lead Renville County West to Victory

Renville County West's game on Friday was a loss, but they didn't let that memory haunt them on Monday. They came out on top against the Dawson-Boyd Blackjacks by a score of 11-1 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). Considering the Jaguars' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.

Mackenna Hinderks

Batters Struck Out

05/05/25 vs Dawson-Boyd	16
05/02/25 @ Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg	6
04/29/25 @ Minneota	10
04/22/25 vs Lac qui Parle Valley	8
04/17/25 @ Hancock	18
+ 2 more games

Mackenna Hinderks made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single hit and allowed only one earned run while striking out 16 over six innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run, two stolen bases, and four RBI. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April of 2024.

In other batting news, Hope Hendriks and Venna Veglahn did most of the damage at the plate: Hendriks got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base, while Veglahn went 2-for-3 with two runs. Those two hits gave Veglahn a new career-high. Gracie Viessman also deserves some recognition as she scored her first run of the season.

Renville County West's win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-5 and their overall record up to 3-6. As for Dawson-Boyd, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-7.

Looking ahead, Renville County West will venture away from home to square off against Ortonville at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Dawson-Boyd, they will host Minneota at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Blackjacks' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Vikings have averaged an impressive 7.8 runs per game this season.