LA CROSSE, WIS. – The Mankato Habaneros battled back from an early deficit but fell just short in an 11-10 loss to the La Crosse Steam on Wednesday night.

After trailing 4-0 through three innings, Mankato’s bats came alive with four runs in the fourth and five more in the fifth to take the lead.

Katy Olive (Miami University, OH)  had a big night at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run, double, triple, five RBIs, and two runs scored. Kylinn Stangl (University of Minnesota) added a two-run homer, while Sailor Hall (Pittsburgh State University) finished with two hits, an RBI, and three runs scored.

The Habaneros pushed across one run in the seventh and had the tying run within reach, but the comeback effort ended one run short.

Mankato finished with 10 runs on nine hits in the back-and-forth contest and will look to even the series with the Steam in the next matchup.

Mankato finished with 10 runs on nine hits, while La Crosse recorded 11 runs on 14 hits.

The Habaneros will look to bounce back in their next matchup against the Steam at ISG Field at 12:05 pm on Thursday. 

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Leveraging the 32-year success of the Northwoods League, the first for-profit Summer Collegiate Baseball League, Northwoods League Softball (NWLS) is the first for-profit Women’s Summer Collegiate Softball League that began play in the Upper Midwest in the summer of 2024.  The purpose of the League will be to develop players for their college, Olympic and future professional play.  Teams will be promoted similar to minor league baseball teams, playing games in front of fans in a fun, friendly, family-oriented environment.