The Chaska Hawks softball team has a 20-game regular season. Within one week, they played five games, or a quarter of their season. The weather has cooperated so far this season and only one game has been rained out.
May 1 was the beginning of the streak of games, when the Hawks took on Benilde-St. Margaret’s (BSM). Consistent hitting and a couple of stolen bases on BSM’s part gave them runs in five of the seven innings of that game, leading to a 8-3 win for the Red Knights.
New Prague was the Hawks’ next opponent on May 2. Chaska jumped out early and kept the lead until the fifth inning, when the Trojans put up four runs. Both teams suffered from errors during the game. The Hawks’ Allana Benoit (Fr.) had two hits and an RBI in that game, and Elizabeth Scott (Sr.) had two hits as well, one of them a home run. New Prague won the game 6-4.
The first Chaska vs. Chanhassen game, scheduled for April 24, was rained out, so the May 5 game was the first meeting of the two District 112 teams.
The Storm hit the batter’s box with some intensity to start the game. Senior Susie Tollefson stole second base in the first inning to set a new record for stolen bases for Chanhassen. Tollefson would go on to score two runs in the game, including a homer.
Senior Anna Christensen pitched the complete game for the Storm. After four innings, Chanhassen was up 6-4, and Chaska Coach Draughn put Allana Benoit (Fr.) on the mound. She gave up one quick hit but then kept the Storm’s bats quiet, going the last three innings and giving up only two hits.
Chaska scored two runs in the fifth and three in the seventh for the come-from-behind victory over Chanhassen. Iyla Branch (Fr.) and Delaney Farm (Jr.) each had home runs in the final stretch. Branch and Farm had two RBIs, and Baily Ellison (Sr.) and Sophia Bixler (Jr.) added an RBI to the effort. Benoit was credited with the win for the Hawks.
The remaining two games of this stretch had the Hawks hosting No. 3 ranked Minnetonka on May 6 and St. Louis Park on May 7.
The Hawks held Tonka scoreless for the first four innings with freshman Allana Benoit’s pitching. Not only did Benoit have a solid day on the hill, she had two hits (one of them a triple) and scored three runs. Delaney Farm (Jr.), Baily Ellison (Sr.), and Iyla Branch (Fr.) had two hits in that game. Farm’s hits were both doubles. Tonka got their bats going later in the game and took the game 13-8.
Clara Olsen (Jr.) pitched a strong game for Chaska against St. Louis Park, striking out seven and allowing four hits. Six Hawks had hits, with Delaney Farm notching another double. Defense was on display as there were only 10 hits between both teams. A few well-timed hits, stolen bases and sacrifice flies set the pace for the game. St. Louis Park won 6-5. After the game, Coach Dennis Draughn stated, “I would describe our team as dedicated and resilient. We work hard and never give up, no matter the challenges we face.”
The Hawks are 4-11 overall for the season and 3-7 in the conference. Offensively the Hawks are being led by Allana Benoit (Fr.) with a .420 average, followed by Elizabeth Scott (Sr.) at .340. Delaney Farm (Jr.) leads the Hawks in slugging percent at .412. Benoit is also the Hawks’ leading pitcher, having pitched 46 2/3 innings and struck out 45.
After a day off on May 8, the Hawks have five more games in the regular season before sectionals. The rained-out Chaska/Chan game will be played on May 14 in Chaska at 4:30 p.m.
