The Bemidji Lumberjacks are taking a road trip to square off against the Monticello Magic at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Bemidji is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Bemidji proved they can win big on Thursday (they won by 12) and on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They never let Elk River get on the board and left with a 1-0 win. The victory was familiar territory for the Lumberjacks, who have now won three contests in a row.
Karley LaZella was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 14 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one triple and one RBI.
Callie Malkowski
| 05/15/26 @ Elk River | 3 |
| 05/12/26 vs Moorhead | 2 |
| 05/08/26 @ Sartell-St. Stephen | 2 |
| 04/21/26 @ Rock Ridge co-op [Eveleth-Gilbert/Virginia] | 2 |
| 04/15/26 vs Denfeld | 2 |
LaZella wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Callie Malkowski, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base. Those three hits gave Malkowski a new career-high.
Bemidji was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .423. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, it may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Monticello ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-5 win over Alexandria.
Like Bemidji, Monticello also got a great game from a two-way player: Maggie Benton. On the mound, she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Benton was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Kiana Pegues was excellent, going 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Taylor Marcus was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
Bemidji's record now sits at 11-7. As for Monticello, their record is now 6-9.
