Late-inning heroics

CANNON FALLS -- With his team down by five heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, coach Anthony Flemmons implored the Bombers to get energized.

They listened.

The Bombers exploded for five hits and tied the game at 6. Prior to the seventh, the Bombers had just three hits. Cannon Falls would go on to defeat Wabasha-Kellogg 7-6 in 10 innings.

"That seventh inning was insane," Cannon Falls shortstop Kalyn Reinardy said. "Right when we started hitting, immediately we just lit up."

The biggest hit of the inning was a three-run homer from Kaci Vandenheuvel, which forced extra innings.

"I thought it popped up," Vandenheuvel said. "I rounded first and saw it and I was like, 'Oh thank God' because I haven't been hitting very good. That felt good."

Bombers freshman Carly Broze led off the 10th inning with a double and advanced to third base on Sara Meyers' ground ball. The very next batter, Lauren Piene, hit a sharp grounder to the third baseman and Broze broke for home.

"Carly is not the fastest runner I have ever seen," Reinardy said. "It was risky, but it happened."

The throw beat Broze and she appeared to be out, but Wabasha-Kellogg catcher Lexi Valpon couldn't corral the ball.

"(The ball) was pinned between the ground, her glove and the back of Carly," said Flemmons, who was coaching third base at the time and had a great view of the play because he followed Broze down the third-base line in excitement.

The umpire didn't make a call right away. Flemmons shouted that Valpon didn't have the ball.

"I knew (the ump) didn't see it," Flemmons said. "The ump adjusted his angle, saw the ball on the ground and made the call. He made the right call."

In addition to scoring the game-winning run. Broze, a freshman, made her first varsity start in the circle. She allowed nine hits and struck out two.

"Carly did amazing tonight," said Reinardy, who went 2-for-3 and scored two runs.

Megan Ripley pitched the final three innings in relief of Broze and earned the win. Ripley pitched all seven innings in a loss on Thursday.

Cannon Falls (2-1) has a tough road contest Monday against a team Flemmons called "our nemesis" -- Zumbrota-Mazeppa. The Cougars are 4-0.

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