Austin, Minn. -- The Farmington Tigers remain alive in the Section 1 Class AAAA softball tournament bracket after suffering a surprising 4-3 loss to the #4 seeded Owatonna Huskies on Thursday.
The loss sent the Tigers to the elimination bracket where they faced the #3 seeded Lakeville South Cougars. This echoes last year's journey, where the Tigers entered the elimination bracket after a 10-2 loss to the #5 seeded Lakeville North Panthers, only to bounce back and win the Section 1 AAAA tournament, defeating Lakeville North twice en route to the championship.
In the contest against Owatonna, Lila Johannsen shone for Farmington, collecting three hits in three at-bats. Johannsen doubled in the third and fifth innings and singled in the first. Despite out-hitting Owatonna eight to six, the Tigers fell short. Owatonna started strong with Elizabeth Radel's solo home run in the first inning. Samantha Bogen added another run in the third with a sacrifice fly. Farmington's pitcher, Kayla Schweich, allowed six hits and four runs (three earned) over seven innings, striking out six and walking one. Owatonna's Kennedy Hodgman also pitched a full game, allowing eight hits and three runs, striking out two and walking two. Lexi Goring contributed two hits for Farmington, but it was not enough to secure a win. Owatonna's Radel and Kendra Bogen each had two hits, with Kendra leading her team with two RBIs. The Huskies were solid defensively, with no errors and Kendra Bogen making five plays.
Farmington bounced back against Lakeville South with a decisive 11-1 victory, eliminating the Cougars from the tournament. Lakeville South took an early lead with a solo home run by Trinity Jensen in the first inning. However, Farmington quickly responded with Leah Oistad drawing a walk to score one run and Olivia McMahon singling to bring in two more runs in the bottom of the first. Johannsen continued her stellar performance with a home run to center field in the fourth, adding two runs. The Tigers exploded in the sixth inning, scoring five runs on three hits, aided by two errors. Schweich pitched another strong game, allowing only two hits and one run over six innings, striking out two and walking two. Lakeville South's Madeline Nutter struggled, surrendering nine hits and 11 runs (seven earned) over five and one-third innings, striking out five and walking seven. McMahon led Farmington with four RBIs, going 2-for-4 at the plate. The Tigers' offense was balanced with Hughes, McMahon, Goring, and Johannsen each collecting two hits. The team showed patience at the plate, drawing seven walks and committing no errors defensively, with Brynn Lickfelt making five plays. Jensen and Kaylee Hafermann each managed one hit for Lakeville South, with Jensen driving in their lone run.
Up Next
The #1 seeded Tigers will face the #5 seeded Lakeville North Panthers on Tuesday, May 28 at Austin's Todd Park at 4:00 pm. A win would advance them to the 6:00 pm game where they would face the loser of the #2 New Prague/#4 Owatonna game.
