Erin Anderson pitched yet another no-hitter Thursday as the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva softball team defeated Gopher Conference champion Blooming Prairie 4-0.

Friday, May 18, 2001

Anderson pitched yet another no-hitter Thursday as the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva softball team defeated Gopher Conference champion Blooming Prairie 4-0. It was the third no-hitter in a row and the sixth this season for the right-hander, who’s only a freshman.

&uot;It is amazing, I guess,&uot; said Panthers coach Wendy Schultz. &uot;Usually, you think one or two no-hitters in a season is good. But six? She’s just unbelievable.&uot;

The difference lately, according to Schultz, has been Anderson’s perfection of a changeup, which makes her already formidable fastball look that much faster.

Anderson’s three no-hitter streak has not come at the expense of weak opponents, and only one of the games was shortened by the 10-rule. Last Friday, Anderson went seven innings as the Panthers beat Faribault Academies 4-2. On Monday, she pitched five innings while NRHEG won 14-4 over Alden-Conger.

Thursday’s was the most impressive, coming against a Blooming Prairie team that was 17-1 overall and had wrapped up the conference title. She struck out 11 and walked one.

&uot;They’ve got three gals who are slap hitters from the left side,&uot; said Schultz. &uot;That can be distracting. She did a good job handling that.&uot;

The closest the Blossoms came to a hit was with two outs in the seventh inning, when a high throw from the shortstop pulled the Panthers’ first base player off the bag for an error.

Anderson also keyed the offense, delivering a two-run double as the Panthers scored three times in the top of the third. Kelli Schlaak singled and drove in a run. Jenny Schroeder and Jennie Gollhofer singled and scored.

The Panthers, who finished 9-3 in the conference, improved to 11-5 overall.

NRHEG 003 100 0 – 4 4 1

Blooming Prairie 000 000 0 – 0 0 3

WP – Erin Anderson (11-5)