Bulldogs 10-run Sentral in five

By Jeff Budlong, sports editor

LAKE MILLS &045;&160;Megan Pederson is a reflection of her Lake Mills softball team.

When the junior pitcher struggled in the first two games of the season the Bulldogs lost, but the six consecutive wins that followed the modest losing streak to open the season suggest things are getting back to normal for the traditionaly powerful squad.

Neither Pederson nor her teammates did anything but bolster their confidence as the junior pitcher threw a no-hitter past Sentral in a 10-0 five inning Bulldog victory.

&8220;I realized the fifth inning that I was throwing a no-hitter but I just tried to keep pitching like I normally would,&8221; said Pederson who has thrown no-no’s in previous seasons for Lake Mills.

The junior pitcher struck out nine and did not issue a walk in a thoroughly dominating performance that showed why the Bulldogs will be in the thick of the conference race.

It was an important performance for a team that was a little unsure of itself after the 0-2 start.

&8220;The season started off kind of rough for me but now I am starting to get my groove back and I am feeling confident up there,&8221; said Pederson. &8220;When the defense is playing like they did tonight it makes me feel better and I pitch better.

&8220;I think we just had a little bit of the jitters at the beginning (of the season) because we weren’t hitting well, I wasn’t pitching well and we weren’t fielding well. Now we are just having more fun.&8221;

As dominating as Pederson was through the five innings the no-no needed some big plays from the defense behind her to remain intact.

Right fielder Sabrina Roll robbed a Spartan hitter of a base hit by cutting the ball off in front of her and firing it to first to beat the runner by half a step. Senior shortstop Melissa Brackey was also up to the challenge in the fifth when she fielded a grounder and made the throwout from the second base side of the bag.

&8220;Those plays were huge on the defensive end of it and of course when you have Megan striking two out of three people out most innings that really helps,&8221; said Lake Mills head coach Jim Boehmer.

Offensively, the Bulldogs came out executing textbook softball in the first inning.

Leadoff hitter Naomi Pederson drew a walk, Brackey put down the perfect sacrifice bunt to move her to second and Laura Fjelstad drove her in with a sharply hit single.

Lake Mills would go hitless over the next two innings but still put a lot of pressure on the Spartans by loading the bases in the second with two walks and a hit batsman. The Bulldogs were patient enough to draw six walks in the game.

&8220;There are times where you are going to get out early in the game and that is not a big deal,&8221; said Boehmer. &8220;Sometimes they are kind of confused by that, but if you make her throw six or seven pitches maybe you don’t get on but you made her throw an extra batter’s worth. Come the fourth, fifth, sixth inning a lot of pitchers are going to get tired.&8221;

The Bulldogs put two runs on the board in the fourth before exploding for seven in the fifth.

Megan Pederson began the fifth with a one-out triple and Brittney Byrnes drove in the run with a base knock. Roll singled and Courtney Eidness loaded the bases for No. 9 hitter Sammy Nelson. Sentral pulled in its defense looking for the slap, but Nelson delivered a line drive to left to score another.

Naomi Pederson would plate another run with a single and Brackey and Fjelstad ended the game with a two RBI double and two RBI single, respectively.

Sentral’s only baserunner came in the third when the No. 9 hitter reached on an error but did not advance past first base.