Area softball: No. 5 Cannon Falls 2, No. 4 Pine Island 0

The Bombers scored twice in the top of the fourth and that's all they would need with Megan Ripley in the circle for Thursday's Section 1AA West game.

Ripley, who had great success with her changeup, held the host Panthers to three hits over seven scoreless innings and earned the complete-game win. She also struck out six without walking a batter.

"She was in the zone," Cannon Falls coach Anthony Flemmons said. "... It got to the point that she was pitching so well in the third inning that I didn't even talk to her (after that). She just had complete control of the game."

Ripley was aided by stellar play by her defense. Cannon Falls' Kalyn Reinardy committed her team's lone error, but she made up for it with an over-the-shoulder basket catch.

"Our defense definitely stepped up today; the best game I've coached in Cannon Falls thus far," Flemmons said.

With the win, the Bombers improved to 9-8 overall. They'll return to Pine Island on Saturday to play top-seeded Zumbrota-Mazeppa at 11 a.m. Cannon Falls lost to the Cougars 7-0 on April 11.

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