Tylie Brodina/Photo by Noah Clooten
FARGO — On Friday, Tylie Brodina gave up 13 runs in the first inning.
On Saturday, she gave up zero.
In Devils Lake’s third game of Midseason Madness, Brodina gave the Firebirds an improved performance from the one in their blowout loss to Kindred-Richland the day prior. And, after a day where they both won and lost a blowout, they played a much tighter game against Williston.
But it resulted in a loss. A couple moments of defensive inconsistency proved costly, and the offense couldn’t extend its rallies long enough to keep up. Devils Lake (5-6) ultimately fell 10-3 to the Coyotes (12-9), though the majority of the game was closer than the final score would indicate.
“I was really proud of Tylie in the circle. She had a lot of confidence going in there today,” interim head coach Jenna Windjue said. “The other team had some good hits. They found the gaps. And that’s really what got us there in the end.”
Just like Saturday’s first game, Brodina put the Firebirds ahead with an RBI hit in the first. She notched an RBI single, taking advantage of a three-base error by Williston.
In the circle, she allowed a leadoff single in the bottom of the first. But catcher Ava Beck threw out the runner trying to steal third, and Brodina struck out the next two batters.
She got the first two outs of the second inning, but a walk and an error extended the frame. Then a three-run homer blasted Williston in front, 3-1. All three runs were unearned.
Brodina settled back in, and her team rallied for two runs in the top of the fourth to tie it up. The inning was ignited but none other than Brodina, who led off with a single and scored on a hit by Calin Boline. Brodina initially held up at third, but the ball got away from the shortstop, and she sprinted home with a run. Tori Mikkleson drew a bases-loaded walk to knot it up at three apiece.
That was all the Firebirds could get in the inning, though — and ultimately the game. With the bases still loaded and only one out, they couldn’t drive any more runs across.
It remained in a 3-3 standstill until the bottom of the fifth. The Coyotes loaded the bases after a fielder’s choice where Devils Lake couldn’t record an out, and then a missed fly ball in center field.
Brodina recorded her fifth strikeout, and was so close to escaping with the game still tied. Had the ball in center been caught, the inning would have ended already. But a line drive bounced off Brodina’s upper thigh — making a loud SMACK! in the process — and dribbled far enough for two Williston runs to come in.
“I was worried for a second,” Windjue said. “But then she hustled right after that ball. So she was fine.”
Two more runs scored on a hard hit to left field. After the Firebirds and Coyotes had played neck-and-neck the entire game, Williston suddenly had a 7-3 lead, with all seven runs of the unearned variety.
Devils Lake got a pair of baserunners in each of the fifth and sixth, but it couldn’t cash any of them in.
The bottom of the sixth was the first frame where Brodina actually gave up earned runs; three singles and two walks led to Williston extending its lead to 10-3. And that’s where the final score ended up.
Brodina’s final line saw her pitch six innings with 10 runs (three earned) allowed on eight hits, seven walks and five strikeouts.
“She’s very good in the circle,” Windjue said of the freshman. “She’s very good defensively. She’s just a solid player all around.”
The Firebirds will complete the regular season with a busy week coming up. They have four games against EDC teams, with two at home and two on the road. They can at least take a breather on Sunday after playing four games over the last three days.
“I think this was a good learning opportunity for some of our girls,” Windjue said. “I’m seeing some different baserunning situations, seeing some different teams that we might not get, that hit the ball in different spots.”
