Sports
Pike Softball Splits Doubleheader, Eats All Orange Slices
Coach Linder calls the second game ‘a learning opportunity’ and the snack situation ‘elite.’
LAKESIDE HIGH — The Pike softball team split Saturday’s doubleheader with Birchard, winning the opener 6-4, dropping the second 9-5, and consuming every orange slice packed for both games before the sixth inning of Game Two.
Coach Megan Skaar called the day “a balanced picture of where we are,” by which she meant the Pike hit well, defended unevenly, and managed snack efficiency beyond coaching expectations. “They were aggressive at the plate and aggressive with the oranges,” Skaar said. “We can work with one of those.”
Sophomore Jenna Ristad drove in three runs in the opener, including a two-out double in the fifth that gave Lakeside the lead for good. Pitcher Molly Ness worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, helped by a diving stop from third baseman Kira Haugen that drew the loudest cheer of the afternoon and one spilled coffee in the first row.
Birchard answered in Game Two with five runs in the third. The Pike rallied late but could not close the gap. Skaar said fatigue showed, especially after the snack cooler was discovered empty. A parent volunteer has been assigned to “citrus operations” for the next tournament.
Lakeside travels to Two Rivers on Tuesday. Players were reminded to bring cleats, uniforms, and the understanding that fruit is not a strategy.
The result gives the Pike another useful line in a season still taking shape around rainouts, bus schedules, and the normal hazards of spring fields. Coaches said the team is ahead in effort, behind in polish, and exactly where a young roster often is when the calendar says summer but the dirt says wait.
In the bleachers, the analysis was immediate and confident. One grandfather had the bunt sign figured out by the second inning. A parent questioned the strike zone. Two younger siblings spent most of the game under the first row looking for a missing dollar and may have seen more of the infield than anyone else.
Lakeside returns to practice with the usual list: cleaner throws, smarter baserunning, better communication, and enough patience to survive the next weather update.
