Softball Recap: Crosby-Ironton Comes Up Short

Crosby-Ironton had lost four straight at home, but on Tuesday they dropped their record down to 3-9 to make it five. They lost 19-0 to the Hinckley-Finlayson Jaguars. The Rangers were not able to make up for their defeat to the Jaguars from their previous meeting back in May of 2024.

As for Hinckley-Finlayson, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-8. Considering they have won five games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

For Hinckley-Finlayson's part, Aris Richey made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over four innings pitched. Richey has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one double.

In other batting news, Hinckley-Finlayson let Annie Alleman and Autumn Painovich run wild. Alleman got on base in all five of her plate appearances with three runs, two RBI, and one double, while Painovich went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Those three RBI gave Painovich a new career-high. Natalie Stafne was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.

Crosby-Ironton and Hinckley-Finlayson could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Minnesota Rankings. The Rangers (ranked 295th) will meet Aitkin (ranked 53rd) at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Meanwhile, Hinckley-Finlayson will square off against Braham at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday with a big rank disadvantage (228 vs. 44).