By Owen Patterson

MINOT, ND – A little bit of rain and two losing results were not enough to spoil a nice night at Corbett Field. In the Minot Honeybees home-opener, pitching was all the craze as the visiting Madison Night Mares picked up wins in both games of the doubleheader, 3-0 in game one and 12-1 in game two.

Before softball could be played at Corbett, pregame festivities took center stage, a ribbon-cutting event, presentation of the nation’s colors and a helicopter flyover set the stage for an evening full of softball action. Once the game begin, the pitchers were the early winners. With Jackie Albrecht inside the circle for Minot and Karlie McKenzie getting the start for Madison, the game would end up scoreless after two innings.

In the top half of the third, Madison got on the board. Following a leadoff single by Chloe Wamboldt, Carly Oliver would do the same, but extra bases were taken after an errant throw by Honeybees’ right fielder, Josie Buhr. The Night Mares would add one more run in the third inning on an RBI single by Hailey Remington.

The Honeybees were again blanked by McKenzie in the third, and in the top of the fourth, Madison was back on the sticks. The inning started with an error, stolen base and fielder’s choice before another run-scoring hit by Carly Oliver. Oliver would finish game one at the plate 2-4 with two RBIs and one run scored.

McKenzie stayed consistent in the circle for the Night Mares pitching into the seventh inning before being relieved by Kendall Weik, who would get the save. The Honeybees would be limited to zero runs and just four hits in the first of two games. The First Command Play of the Game was made by second baseman Shannon Nelson with a leaping catch in the second inning.

As for the late game, it got started with offensive fireworks in the rain. Nonstop in the first inning, the Madison Night Mares were putting runners on the base. The big hits for Madison included a Lexie Shaver triple and doubles by Brooke Steinhorst and Carly Oliver as part of an 11-run, 15-batter inning for the Night Mares.

Surely faced with an uphill climb, the Minot Honeybees would start putting up their own runs against Madison’s starting pitcher Andrea Jaskowiak. Just as the Bees scored their first run at Corbett Field, lightning struck and the game went into a 30-minute delay.

Following a fun-filled break from the action, Madison was scoring again, this time on a fielder’s choice. With the score 12-1, the pitchers were back in the driver’s seat. Over the next three innings, Honeybees pitcher Jasmine Blizzard would not allow a run, however, the Night Mares weren’t letting much happen either. Jaskowiak and Holly Lowenberg combined to allow one run over five innings.

All it took was five innings for Madison to secure the doubleheader sweep, initiating the 10-run rule after the fifth.

The Honeybees and Night Mares have one more game to play in the three-game, home-opening series at Corbett. It will take place tomorrow starting at 5:35 pm.