Softball Recap: Red Wing Comes Up Short

Red Wing had lost three straight at home, but on Tuesday they dropped down to 6-7 to make it four. They fell just short of the Mankato West Scarlets by a score of 5-4. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Wingers of the 18-4 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April of 2025.

As for Mankato West, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games.

For Mankato West's part, Cora Aanenson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on five hits and racked up nine Ks. Aanenson has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Taylor Fitzloff, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and one double. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Lydia Banse, who went 2-for-4 with two runs.

We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Red Wing is set to square off against their familiar foe Owatonna at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Meanwhile, Mankato West will take on rival Winona at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (the Scarlets 3.8, the Hawks 3.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.