KoMets rebound after tough loss in Northfield

The Kasson-Mantorville softball team has seen its share of ups and downs throughout the 2017 season. While at times they look like a team that is ready to contend with some of the best in the section, they also have moments when the bounces don’t go the way of the KoMets.
Last week, the KoMets saw both sides of the pendulum as they were able to pick up a couple of big wins despite losing a heartbreaker to section foe Northfield.
To start the week, K-M was running on all cylinders beginning with the makeup of a game against Minneapolis Roosevelt on May 2. After generating some threats early in the game to no avail, the KoMets’ bats were able to get going behind MiKayla Grant’s third home run of the season. Outfielder Katie Harrington also stayed hot with her 13th career triple in the game which tied a Minnesota State High School League record. 
With Kennedy Bradford holding the Teddies to just one hit on the afternoon, K-M was able to cruise to a 10-0 victory in five innings.
The momentum would continue when the KoMets traveled to Cannon Falls on May 4. K-M’s bats continued to stay red-hot against the Bombers, as Grant followed up her bomb with a 3-for-4 performance with a triple and an RBI and Addie Murry was able to drive in three runs in an 11-0 victory.
The wins were a nice foundation for K-M as it headed into a stretch of games over the weekend that K-M head coach Paul Mann would previously declare a challenge for his young team. With a trip to Northfield on May 5, it would represent a potential section foe come tournament time later this month.
Although the Raiders and KoMets would go back and forth throughout the game, K-M would take a 7-4 lead into the top of the seventh and look to close things out. Unfortunately, Northfield showed some resiliency of its own, battling back to score four runs in the bottom of the seventh to come away with an 8-7 win.
After a loss like that, it would have been easy for the KoMets to have a hangover coming into a pair of games the next morning. However, K-M came out of the gates on fire against Wabasha-Kellogg and picked up a 15-0 victory over the Falcons in the opening game of the W-K Invitational.
“After losing to W-K last year and coming out and winning like we did, I was very pleased with our discipline at the plate,” Mann observed. “Also, we wanted Kennedy to get back on the mound after losing to Northfield like we did. It was a tough game to lose, but I liked how everyone responded Saturday morning.”
After the win against the Falcons, the KoMets would take on Rochester Century. This game had a different feel as the KoMets played well enough to make it a close game, but four errors helped the Panthers blow it open in a 9-1 defeat.
“The Century game should have been much closer than it was,” Mann lamented. “When we have four errors in the field, it makes it that much tougher for our young pitchers to battle through innings.”
The KoMets stand at 7-6 on the season and have a 4-3 record in HVL play.