Softball Recap: Pine City Comes Up Short

Pine City extended their losing streak to eight on Tuesday, dropping their season record down to 1-8 in the process. They lost 27-20 to the Mora Mustangs. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Mustangs this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 27-20 two weeks ago.

Emily Stewart stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: she got on base in four of her six plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Elizabeth Simon, who got on base in four of her six plate appearances with three runs and four RBI.

As for Mora, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.5 runs over those games.

On Mora's side, Aubrey Athey was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off three hits. Athey was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with one stolen base and one run.

In other batting news, Mora got a massive performance out of Izzy Graham, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Graham has been hot recently, having posted three or more hits the last three times she's played. Hailee Bowen also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.

Pine City didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, a 13-9 loss against Hinckley-Finlayson on the 1st. As for Mora, they have also already played their next game, a 7-4 defeat against Mille Lacs co-op [Isle/Onamia] on the 30th.