Softball: Cougars cling to lead against Eagan

Junior Amber Jentsch hit a three-run home run in the third inning to help second-ranked Zumbrota-Mazeppa defeat Eagan 6-5 Friday in the Cougars’ first game at the North St. Paul Red Tournament.

Jentsch finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored for Z-M (12-0, 8-0 HVL) and is starting to heat up in the middle of the season. She has a home run in each of the last three games.

“She’s done real well this last week,” Z-M head coach Kevin Nelson said. “She’s starting to hit her stride now.”

Junior Lydia Wagner was 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored for the Cougars and ninth-grader Tayler Mort went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI in the win. Senior Megan Nelson was the winning pitcher, throwing a complete game with five strikeouts.

Ciara Rivera finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI to lead Eagan (0-9). Starting pitcher Kierstin Anderson-Glass threw four innings, giving up four earned runs and striking out five. She was also 2-for-4 with two RBI. Madison Haus pitched the final two innings and gave up a run while striking out four.

Eagan had 10 hits in the game to Z-M’s seven.

With the Cougars leading by two runs going into the seventh inning, Eagan scored a run and put the tying run on third base with two outs but a line drive was knocked down by Jentsch at first base and sophomore second baseman Carley Henning made a great play to end the game, Kevin Nelson said. The loss was Eagan’s seventh this season by two runs or less.

“They’re right there with a lot of good teams,” Nelson said. “They’re just falling one run short. … It was a great game.”

Z-M plays again today against second-ranked (3A) North St. Paul. The game starts at 1 p.m.

Tags: sports, prep, softball, zumbrota, mazeppa