The Kenyon-Wanamingo Knights and Randolph Rockets fastpitch teams had one of those games Friday people will talk about well into the future. The 2-1 10-inning walk-off score in favor of Randolph had a little bit of everything from both teams.

For a couple of weeks this season, the Randolph Rockets were ranked No. 1 in the state in Class A, and were rated No. 7 in the latest poll.

I thought it probably wouldn't be a very competitive game -- the Rockets with just two losses were facing a Knights team with just two wins. I should know better by now.

Kenyon-Wanamingo was clearly focused to play their best game of the season.

Senior Brandi Remold was cleared to play after fracturing her ankle May 8 and was clearly limping. I asked her if it hurt and she said, "It's getting better." That means it probably did hurt, but she threw a great game and had some stellar defense behind her.

Remold told her coach before the game she wanted to try to throw an inning and ended up throwing all 10, tossing 113 pitches, a whopping 81 for strikes. She was 26 of 38 first-pitch strikes and fanned seven batters while walking two.

Randolph came into the game hitting .376 as a team and could only string together multiple hits in two innings in the game. They finished with eight hits and Kenyon-Wanamingo had six.

The Knights left 10 runners on the bases, five in scoring position, and the Rockets stranded seven runners, four in scoring position.

Kenyon scored a run in the third inning with some timely two-out hitting by senior catcher Kelsey Noah.

With one out, freshman Madi Luebke got a single off Randolph eighth-grade pitcher Morgyn Otte and went to second on a ground out. Following a Shera Clawiter walk, Noah smacked an RBI single to give the Knights the 1-0 lead.

The inning ended when Noah was thrown out by Randolph eighth-grade catcher Megan Erickson when she tried to steal second.

Randolph also got some offense going in the bottom of the third when freshman shortstop Mackenna Otte crushed a one-out double and scored on an error.

It stayed 1-1 by nearly miraculous plays.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Rocket shortstop clubbed a double to start the inning. Pitcher Morgyn Otte laid down a bunt that Remold fielded and rather than throw to first with Mackenna Otte rounding third elected to hold the ball.

The Rockets had runners at second and third with no outs.

Remold struck out the next batter looking and during the at bat Noah threw Mackenna Otte out at third base. The next batter hit a ball to Remold and the inning ended with her throw to first base for the final out.

In the ninth inning, Randolph got a single by sophomore Andrea Splicahl to start the inning. Sophomore LIndsey Grant attempted to bunt and popped the ball up with Kenyon-Wanamingo junior third baseman Brittany Woods catching it and firing to first to get the double play.

With one out in the bottom of the 10th, No. 9 hitter, eighth-grader Meredith Taylor, had a single and went to third base on a single by Mackenna Otte.

Pitcher Morgyn Otte lifted a 2-2 pitch to center where Luebke caught it, but Taylor crossed home plate before the throw arrived home and Randolph had a walk-off win.

Kenyon-Wanamingo had the first batter reach base in the second, fifth, sixth and eighth innings and did not score.

The six seniors for the Knights were out Sviggum Insurance Agency of Wanamingo Knights of the game: Shera and Shelby Clawiter, Remold, Noah, Hannah Paulson and Emily Pliscott, out all season with a knee injury.

Randolph is the top seed in the East Subsection of Section 1 Class A and hosts Rushford-Peterson on Monday at 5PM.

The first round is single elimination and then it becomes a double elimination tournament.

The Kenyon-Wanamingo Knights will find out their seed Saturday in Section 2 Class 2A and will definitely be on the road when they begin action Tuesday.

We do plan to carry the game on KDHL Radio, 920AM, www.kdhlradio.com and Radio Pup.

In the baseball game Friday, Randolph defeated Kenyon-Wanamingo 4-1.

The Rockets have the battle for the traveling Lake Byllesby trophy game against Cannon Falls at Murray Field in Randolph on KDHL Saturday. Coverage begins at 4:45PM.

Randolph Softball Dugout- photo by Gordy Kosfeld
Randolph Softball Dugout- photo by Gordy Kosfeld
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