Other news worth blogging about...Browerville's fastpitch team knocks down Osakis

Browerville tagged Osakis their first fastpitch softball loss in the regular season since 2010 and first loss in the Prairie Conference since the 2010 season. In 2010, the Silverstreaks went 16-1 in the regular season with one Prairie Conference loss (8-6 score) on May 4 at Swanville in a double-header. They went 4-2 in the Section 5A tournament with two losses coming to Barnum for a 20-3 final record.

The huge win for the Tigers took place last Friday in Osakis, only days after the Silverstreaks (5-1) had risen to the #4-rankings in the Class A coaches poll. Last season, Osakis amassed an 18-0 regular season, went 5-0 against Section 5A opponents and then went 0-2 at the Class A state tournament. In the consolation semifinals, they lost 7-6 in 10 innings to Hawley. The Tigers sport a 5-0 record heading into today's home game against conference and neighboring rival Eagle Valley.

Osakis went undefeated in Prairie Conference action in 2009 and 2011. They are four-time defending conference champions.

From the Long Prairie Leader: The Tigers had the tough task last Friday of taking on the reigning Prairie Conference champions on their home field at Osakis. Like she has been for much of the season so far, Tigers pitcher Abby Aksamit was sharp as she led her team past Osakis 6-3. Out in the field, Aksamit pitched seven innings and allowed only two hits with 10 strikeouts. To top off a good day, she also broke open the game with a three-RBI home run in the 5th inning that extended the Tigers' lead to 4-0.

By the way, Browerville's baseball team is also undefeated this spring with a  7-0 record. They are coached by Sauk Centre graduate Matt Middendorf, who has been a mainstay with the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team for the last 10 years. The biggest win thus far for Middendorf's Tigers came on April 17 in Collegeville, where they beat conference favorite St. John's Prep 2-1. His quotes in the Leader this week cited two double plays against the middle of the Johnnies' lineup as keys to the win. Austin Host pitched six innings for the win with one hit, five walks and four strikeouts. They capped a 3-0 week last week with a 5-4 win over Melrose Area in a game where they rallied to score four runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.