The Bulldog softball team saw another record fall on Wednesday night in their doubleheader sweep of Bishop Heelan. Junior pitcher Brenna Leraas struck out 12 hitters in the first game to bring her single-season strikeout total above 241 which was the previous record for the program held by Molly Renken from the 2013 season.
The best part of the night for Leraas was getting the opportunity to break the record on their home field. She says the support from her teammates and friends has helped her get to this point.
On the field, the key to success has been building since the winter months. Leraas and her catcher Charli Grosenheider have been hard at work all throughout the offseason figuring out what pitches are best to throw in which scenarios. Leraas says that work has led to this achievement.
That work in the offseason has also made her a pretty easy pitcher to coach. Le Mars head coach Brooke Berkenpas says she takes the work load off her shoulders by having great softball IQ.
The Bulldogs won the first game 7-1 and were able to pick up the second game by a score of 7-6. Game two was a back-and-forth game that four different lead changes throughout the night. The last lead change happened in the sixth inning when Charli Grosenheider hit her team-record 12th home run of the season to drive in the tying and go-ahead runs. Coach Berkenpas says Grosenheider’s approach remained consistent even after a tough start to the night.
Leraas struck out another 10 batters in the second game but had a bit of a rough time in the fifth inning allowing four runs. She says it was great to see the team not give in when things got difficult.
With just one more regular season doubleheader before the tournament, things will continue to be difficult for the Bulldogs at times. Coach Berkenpas says having some fight like they showed in game two will pay off in the next week of action.
Leraas ended the night at 253 strikeouts on the season and will have a chance to continue adding to the new record. The Bulldogs host Sioux City North for a doubleheader on Monday and start the tournament at home against Humboldt on Thursday.
