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The Southeast Elite battled 20 other teams from around the state of South Dakota in the USA softball Class C 12U softball tournament. Elite 12, Oahe 5 In game one the Elite took on the Oahe 605. The Elite fell behind 2-0 after one inning. In the bottom of the first they scored one when Harper Kracht reached on an error, stole second, and then scored on a series of wild pitches. The Elite then fell behind 5-1. However, in the bottom of the second, they scored 3 runs when Whitley Wolf and Ashley Soukup both reached and were driven in by a pair of singles by Reagan Brandt and Kodi Maggs. That would be the end of the scoring for the 605. The Elite added two more in the 3rd on a hit by Kensley DeVries and sealed the game with 7 runs in the 4th on singles by Harper, Leah Dewald and a double by Johanna Namminga. Emersyn Haenfler started on the hill and was relieved by Harper Kracht. They struck out 9 in 5 innings of work. Final score 12 -5 Elite Elite 16, Boltz 4 In Game two the Elite faced the Boltz. The Elite took care of business fast by scoring six runs in the second and six runs in the 3rd. Leading hitters were Stella Ratzlaff with three singles, Harper and Kensley with singles and Emersyn with a triple. Harper started and was relieved by Emersyn. The pair struck out five in four innings of work. Final score 16-4 Elite Elite 13, Herikanes 3 Game three found the Elite facing the 12U Herikanes. The Elite scored two in the first when Rowan Brandt singled in a pair of runners. In the 3rd, Leah Dewald started the inning off with an inside the park homerun. The Elite added 4 more runs on singles by Kensley and Raegan and a double by Whitley. In the 4th they added seven more runs. Emersyn, Leah, and Johanna all singled while Harper added a double. Harper went the distance striking out three in 4 innings of work. The Elite played excellent defense! Final Score 13-3 Elite. Elite 8, Crush 12 In Game 4 on Saturday the Elite ran into the tough Madison Crush. The Elite fell behind 10-0 but battled back to make the final score 12-8. Johanna had two hits for the Elite. Harper took the loss striking out seven in five innings of work. That put the Elite in the Loser’s bracket for Sunday. Elite 6, Rebels 5 In the first game on Sunday the Elite faced the Freeman Marian Rebels. The Elite scored two runs in the first inning on singles by Emersyn and Leah and a double by Harper. That tied the game at two. In the 3rd the Elite added four runs on singles by Leah and Reagan. The Elite surrendered 3 runs in the fifth but were able to hold on to win by a score of 6-5. Harper pitched a complete game, striking out six . Elite 6, Huskies 3 Next up were the EP Huskies 12U black. The Elite scored 2 in the first on a single by Leah and a double by Harper. The Elite then gave up two runs and the game was tied at 2-2. In the 4th the Elite added two more runs. In the fifth they plated two more on singles by Stella and Johanna. They gave up one run in the top of the fifth but held on to win by a score of 6-3. Harper went the distance striking out three in five innings of work. The Elite again played excellent defense. Elite 13, Ortho 4 The win put the Elite against the VanLaecken Ortho with the winner to the championship game. The Elite put this game away early by scoring six runs in the first inning. They eventually added 7 more to win by a final score of 13-4. The Elite were aided by nine walks. Leading hitters were Johanna Namminga with 2 singles and double by Harper and a single by Stella. Harper was on the mound and struck out two in four innings. The defense by the Elite was awesome! Elite 2, Crush 11 The Elite therefore earned the right to play the Madison Crush in a rematch for the championship. The Elite ran out of gas and fell by a score of 11-2. Kensley DeVries had the lone hit for the Elite. The Elite finished the tournament with an overall record of 6-2 and runners- up to the Crush. The Elite ends the season with a record 31-18. Coach's Comments: Mr. Kuhlman would like to thank all the players and their parents for a great year. I greatly appreciate the time and effort that was put into getting the kids to all the games and practices. It was truly a joy to work with all your children. A big shout out to Mathew and Laura Haynes for all their coaching help. Also, a shout out to our sponsors; Voigt Seed, Cameron Insurance, and Brand Construction. Your financial support was greatly appreciated. Finally, thanks to Mrs. Kuhlman who gave up her husband for most of the summer so he could coach softball! We will be starting up again the middle of March, so if your child is interested in 12 softball next year, please keep in touch with Mr. Kuhlman.