The Lake Region State College softball team upset Williston State College in the first round of the Region XIII playoffs.
The Royals were still eventually eliminated Friday. They finished with a record of 7-37. Their .159 winning percentage was the lowest in a season in program history.
At one point this season, LRSC lost 24 games in a row, doubling the longest streak the program has ever had. That included four losses to WSC.
But the Royals began their playoff run with an upset win over the Tetons. They won 11-9 over WSC (21-24) in Rosemount, Minn., on Thursday.
LRSC led 9-0 in the third inning. The Royals drew six walks in a five-run second inning, including five in a row. Kaell Klisowsky hit an RBI double in each of the first two innings. In the third, Ella Harkness drove in two runs with a bunt single.
Royals pitcher Tristan McTavish retired the first six batters she faced as LRSC was rolling.
WSC made it a game with three in the bottom of the third and four in the fourth. The Royals’ lead was down to 9-7.
LRSC extended its cushion with two in the fifth, getting RBI singles from Leta Schulz and Payton Durand. McTavish allowed a run-scoring single in the bottom half to make it 11-8, but she stranded two runners.
After neither team scored in the sixth, the Tetons almost pulled off a comeback in the seventh. They loaded the bases with nobody out on a double, single and walk.
LRSC opted to pull McTavish and replace her with Ireland Schmidt.
Schmidt allowed a sacrifice fly but recorded a pop out and a strikeout to end the game, stranding the tying runs on base.
Altogether, McTavish allowed nine runs (four earned) over six innings, permitting 13 hits, walking just two and striking out one batter.
LRSC had previously been outscored by WSC 31-8 over four games in the regular season.
With the win, the Royals played another game on Thursday. This time, they were run-ruled by Dawson Community College (28-14) in a 12-0 loss.
The Buccaneers scored three in the first, two in the third and seven in the fourth.
Schmidt allowed nine runs (eight earned) on seven hits and six walks while striking out three over three innings.
LRSC scattered six hits, with two hits each from Harkness and Schulz.
The Royals stayed alive until Friday after going 1-1 on Thursday. Their season came to an end with a 9-2 loss to Miles Community College (26-21).
Schmidt got the start again and pitched five-plus innings. She allowed seven runs (five earned) on nine hits and eight walks while striking out two.
The Pioneers scored two in each of the first two innings, but LRSC stayed within striking distance by scoring a run in each of the fourth and sixth innings. MCC led 5-2 going to the bottom of the sixth.
The Pioneers added four big insurance runs. The first two batters got on against Schmidt, and MCC continued to rally when LRSC brought McTavish in. Back-to-back two-out hits brought in three runs.
The Royals stranded two runners in the final inning of their season.
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