Edina softball girls win with shutouts over Buffalo and Hopkins

It isn’t often that two fastpitch high school softball pitchers hurl back-to-back shutouts, but it did happen for the Edina Hornets last week.

Mara Willette, a senior captain, tossed a six-hitter to blank the Buffalo Bison 7-0, then Ella Meyer limited Hopkins to four hits in a 5-0 victory. Meyer had eight strikeouts in her win. Willette had nine strikeouts with only two walks in her complete game.

Willette had another start later in the week and beat Spring Lake Park 7-5 with relief help from Meyer.

Last week’s results left Edina with an overall record of 5-4.

“Since I’ve been coaching here, we had never had back-to-back shutouts in the same week,” Edina head coach KJ Johnson said. “Ella’s control and speed have both improved this year, as well as her strikeout total. She has more strikeouts at this point in the season than she had all of last year. Mara pitched two great games last week. She has been hitting her spots.”

The Edina pitchers are throwing to ninth-grade catcher Avery Cox, who is already in her second season as a starter.

“Our defense has improved a lot from last year,” coach Johnson said. One reason for that is the Hornets’ experience up the middle with Avery Cox at catcher, Mia Kapoor at shortstop and Kenzie Cox, Avery’s older sister, in center field.

Good hitting supplements Edina’s consistent pitching. The Hornets racked up 15 hits in the win over Buffalo. Kenzie Cox was four-for-five with a home run. Sylvia Van Norman also had four hits plus a home run. Avery Cox went two-for-four.

Haley Cox, Avery’s twin sister, led the attack in the win over Hopkins by going two-for-four. Other key hits were by Avery Cox, Kapoor and Meyer. Hopkins had only four hits in the game - two each by Abi Carter and Cece Rasmussen.

Willette pitched 5 and 2/3 innings in the win over Spring Lake Park before Meyer took over to record the final four outs.

In its only loss last week, Edina fell to Wayzata 6-1. Hits for Edina were by Avery Cox, Van Norman, Meyer, Kapoor, Grace Duwenhoegger and Lucy Grennan.

Hopkins has kept Edina out of the state tournament the last two years, but there is optimism this year that the Hornets can make their third state appearance under Johnson.

“We have the talent to get there,” the coach said. “We just have to complete the mission.”