Sainthood denied

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

Aug. 30, 1998

By Devlyn Brooks

The BSU Beavers softball team rolled to their fourth win in two days as they recorded 9-7 and 9-1 victories over St. Scholastica at BSU Field Wednesday.

The wins improved the Beavers' overall record to 8-7, marking the first time they have been over .500 this season.

After recording two extra inning wins against North Dakota Tuesday, there was concern that maybe the Beavers may overlook the Saints, who entered with a 3-18 record.

But there was no let down, as the Beavers piled up 14 hits and a 9-7 win in the first of the doubleheader, and 10 hits and a 9-1 thumping in the nightcap.

"They had some good hits in the first game, but we never got rattled and never lost our cool. A couple of years ago we might have packed it in, but not this team," head coach Nichie Bendt said. "We knew it would be an offensive game with Abbey (Stritesky) pitching, because teams just hit her better, but we responded to it."

BSU 9, CSS 7

The Saints scored first in the opening game when Chris Lorentz singled and came home on a Laura Brueggemeier single two batters later.

The Beavers responded with two of their own in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, Misty Muter singled and advanced on a Kelly Price walk. Becca Beal batting next, singled Muter home.

Rachel Berry got on next when the Saints' Lorentz booted a grounder to third, which loaded the bases. BSU's starting pitcher, Stritesky, helped her cause when she drew a walk and forced the second run in.

BSU gained another three runs in a long second inning which saw eight Beavers come to the plate.

Jenny Schickert, who reached with a single, came home after an Annie Block double and a Heather Peschl single. Block later scored on a Muter single and Peschl scored when Muter tried taking second in the same play.

BSU's lone run in the fourth scored when Peschl, who singled to get on base, scored on a Beal single.

St. Scholastica clawed back into the game in the fifth, gaining six runs in an inning that saw 11 Saints bat. That put St. Scholastica up 7-6.

The Beavers promptly responded with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, and added an insurance run in the sixth.

BSU's Schickert and Block scored late in the fifth on a Beal single up the middle. Shickert had reached base with her own single, and Block got on by an error.

The sixth inning insurance run was scored when pinch runner Kim Strom was doubled home by Block.

BSU 9, CSS 1

There was little the Saints could be proud of in the second game as the Beavers rolled up three runs in the first, one in the second, four in the fourth and one in the sixth.

The Saints lone run came in the first when Brueggemeier drew a walk and came home the next at bat on a Veronica Giesen single.

Price led the Beavers in the second game hitting 3-for-4 and driving in one run.

Beal also had a big game, scoring once, hitting 2-for-3 and garnering an RBI.

In the first inning, Block scored on a Price single; Peschl scored on a Beal ground out; and Muter scored on a Jenni Maas fly out.

Schickert scored by stealing home in the second.

In the fourth, Block scored on a Muter single, Peschl and Muter on a Beal single, and Beal on an error.

The Beavers ended the game early in the sixth when pinch runner Deanna Nordwick scored on an Angie Lindberg sacrifice fly to left field.

The Beavers' next action is the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference round-robin tournament Friday and Saturday in Aberdeen, S.D. They will play doubleheaders versus Moorhead State, Northern State, Wayne State and Winona State.