The Albert Lea U-14 fast-pitch softball team enjoyed a successful week with three wins in four games.

On Wednesday, the team hosted USC in a doubleheader. The first game went to the home team by a score of 16-3. Liz Thompson was the winning pitcher with four strikeouts in the game that was shortened to four innings by league rules. Thompson, Chelsea Barrett, and Tatum Roberts had two hits each to lead the offense with Barrett rapping a double. Barrett and Missy Webb each scored three runs. The defensive play of the game was turned in by catcher Marissa Cottrell, who made a diving catch of a foul pop fly in the first inning.

Game two was a see-saw battle with USC scoring four runs in its last at-bat to pull out an 11-10 victory. Evin Sather led the Albert Lea attack with two hits with Thompson (double) and Niki Hendrickson each adding a hit each. Sam Cole, Liz Thompson, and Hali Hendrickson each scored two runs. Sather was the losing pitcher.

On Thursday the girls traveled to Stewartville for a makeup doubleheader against the Stewartville White team. The trip was worth it as the team left town with two wins to help avenge two earlier losses to the Stewartville Gray team. The team used nine walks and combined that with 13 hits to lead to a 22-5 win in the opener. April Balsley (triple), Niki Hendrickson (double), and Marissa Cottrell led the offensive explosion with three hits each. Barrett, Thompson, Tatum Roberts and Katherine Ladwig added one hit apiece. Thompson was again the winning pitcher and she recorded five strikeouts in the three-inning game.

The score of game two was 15-9. Evin Sather enjoyed a big game with four hits

including a double, two triples, a home run and four runs scored. She was also the winning pitcher in relief of starter Hali Hendrickson. The two combined to strike out five batters. Third baseman Shelby Vietze turned in the defensive play of the night with an unassisted double play to end the second inning when she snared a line drive and then tagged the Stewartville runner before she was able to get back to the base. Other girls contributing one hit each were Webb, Thompson, Cottrell, and Barrett (triple). Leadoff hitter Jordan Malimanek scored three runs to aid in the victory.

The season record now stands at 3-3 with two doubleheaders in the next week. On Monday the team is at Owatonna and Wednesday another road trip leads to Adams.