United South Central junior pitcher Ali Ramsley has shown a knack for working out of jams this season and Monday against New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Ramsley deftly escaped any major damage in a 9-2 victory in New Richland.

Ramsley gave up nine hits but limited the Panthers to just two runs in seven innings. Ramsley escaped a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the second inning by striking out the next three hitters. Ramsley stranded runners in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh inning as well and finished with 14 strikeouts.

Ramsley said she enjoys the pressure of working out of a tight spot and her adrenaline helps her out.

“It’s probably my adrenaline rush,” Ramsley said. “According to my dad, ever since I’ve been little it’s always been that way.”

It helps that Ramsley rarely issues walks and she doesn’t compound the problem.

“She got in trouble and reared back and got them,” said USC head coach Brad Huse.

Ramsley, the No. 4 hitter, also provided the offense for the Rebels early. Ramsley knocked in two of the first three runs for USC and finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs.

The Rebels (12-4, 6-4 Gopher) grabbed a 4-1 lead before they broke it open in the sixth. Junior Tayla Sunde provided a three-run triple to give USC a 9-1 lead. Sunde, the No. 3 hitter, finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs and together with Ramsley drove in eight of the nine Rebels runs.

“Tayla’s swinging a really hot bat right now,” Huse said. “She’s getting two or three hits a game and that’s what you gotta have.”

NRHEG (6-10, 4-6 Gopher) gave USC extra opportunities in the sixth by trying to cut down the lead runner three times and faltering on each attempt.

“We got ourselves in some predicaments where — they did have some good hits — but that one inning where they had a whole bunch of runs we should have had three outs before that big hit,” said Panthers head coach Wendy Schultz.

NRHEG senior Jady Beenken went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored while senior Kate Quam, junior Kristina Cole and eighth-grader Jade Schultz all went 2-for-3.

USC 9, NRHEG 2

USC 102 114 0 — 9 8 2

NRHEG 000 100 1 — 2 9 4

WP—Ali Ramsley 7 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 0 ER,

1 BB, 14 K

LP—Jade Schultz 7 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 1 ER,

5 BB, 10 K