Falcons softball earns two wins after falling to Trojans

In a clash of cross-town rivals, Armstrong softball lost a hard-found game to Wayzata on May 8 by a score of 3-1 at home.

The result continues a steady history of competitive meetings between the two Plymouth-based teams. Armstrong had won three of the last five meetings with the Trojans.

Both teams got to work immediately scoring one run each in the first inning. The Trojans scored first off a good base hit, which was complimented by an error, to score a runner. Pitcher Peyton Erickson worked well with first baseman Sydney Primmer and third baseman Sam Lind to cut the trouble short. Armstrong’s response came early in the bottom of the first as Madison Fondow hit a single to get on base before an RBI double from Elizabeth Brey led her home to make it 1-1.

Lind and Primmer combined for two tags at the top of the second, a strikeout from Erickson to quiet the Trojans. Wayzata responded with similarly strong play defensively.

Brey starred in the top of the third, completing a big diving catch to a share of applause from the fans to get a first out. Two more Primmer tags kept it 1-1.

Despite an early catch by Gabby Berns to get an out at the top of the fourth, Wayzata eventually took the lead in the inning through two deep hits into center field. Armstrong almost responded with an ambitious run by Brey to home plate with Lexi Madson also on the bases, but a tag on Brey and good fielding saw the Trojans escape damage and hold a 3-1 lead.

The bottom of the fourth did feature a few bright spots, including a double for Lind and a return to batting for Claire Riestenberg, who has spent the season thus far dealing with an injury from the bench. A leader on the team, as well as the girls hockey team, Riestenberg is sure to be a welcome presence going forward.

The Armstrong infield and outfield collectively impressed during the rest of the game, holding Wayzata to three shutout innings with impressive catches from Madson at shortstop, Primmer at left field, and Fondow at right field to complement good base work from Primmer, Berns, and Lind.

The Falcons could not find the runs to complement that work, however, and eventually lost 3-1 to Wayzata to conclude the day.

Other results

Armstrong responded to the defeat early in the week with a 4-3 win over Elk River on May 9, its first conference win following two losses to Rogers and Maple Grove. The Falcons kept the wins coming with a dominant 17-3 victory over Blaine on May 10 to improve their conference record to 5-6, 7-8 overall.

Armstrong softball will play four games the following week, traveling to Bloomington Kennedy, Osseo, and Holy Angels on May 13, 14, and 15, before meeting Cooper at Zachary Park for a traditional rivalry game on Friday, May 17.