East Linn’s softball team’s 12-game winning streak ended last week with three losses to No. 9 Monroe.
The first game, on Tuesday, April 28, featured a late charge by the Eagles, but it was too little too late as the hosts built a 7-0 lead in the first two innings and held on for a 9-6 win.
Ally Hatch went 3-4 at the plate for East Linn and Madison Adams and Meeya Rehnberg both had two hits in four at-bats as the Eagles rolled up 13 hits, but although Monroe only had 12, they were timely, including a line-drive triple to center field by Madison Holman in the second to score two runners.
Game 2 was tighter, with East Linn leading 7-0 after two innings. The Eagles stretched that lead to 12-7 in the bottom of the fifth, but then Monroe’s batters went to work, cracking two doubles to help them close the gap by five runs to 12-10 going into the bottom of the sixth.
The Dragons took advantage of ELCA mistakes and their bats really came alive in the top of the seventh, exiting the inning with three doubles and four singles – and an 18-12 lead, which proved to be the final score.
In the third game, Monroe built its lead consistently, inning by inning, leading 3-0 after the second inning, and adding four more runs in the third for a 7-0 lead.
Abby Mitchell got the Eagles on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth, scoring on a wild pitch, but a triple from Josi Davidson didn’t pay off as the next batter grounded out to end the inning.
Leading 8-1 going into the top of the seventh, the Dragons took advantage of five hit batters as Alivia Kropf left the circle and was replaced, first by Mitchell and then by Macy Rehnberg. and two walks, plus a triple from Kylie Eastridge early on, to finish with a 19-1 lead.
East Linn wasn’t giving up: Ally Hatch led off with a double and was scored by Davidson, after which Eva Pimm doubled to score Davidson. Meeya Rehnberg singled to score Pimm, but that ended the Eagles’ offensive output and the game at 19-4.
The Dragons finished with 14 hits, to six for East Linn, two of them from Davidson.
With two weeks left in the season, East Linn, 11-3 in league and 13-4 overall coming into this week, travels to Culver (6-9, 7-11) Tuesday, May 5, then plays a doubleheader against the Bulldogs on Friday, May 8.
