Rochester John Marshall High School Athletics

WINONA — The John Marshall softball squad faced a tough task on Thursday, traveling to Winona to wrap up the regular season with a double-header against the ninth-ranked team in the state in Class AAA

The Rockets played well in both games but couldn't muster enough offense, as Winona won the first game 4-1, then claimed the nightcap 4-3.

Winona jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of game one, with Katie Block hitting a solo home run. JM tied things up in the top of the second as Gina Pula doubled and scored on a single by Sam Guetter.

But Winona grabbed the lead back quickly, taking advantage of a key JM error to score two runs in the bottom of the second. That was all the support Winona pitcher Ashton Hoeppner would need, as she scattered five hits and had six strikeouts to get the complete-game victory.

JM's Kiara Sennes gave up six hits and three earned runs in six innings.

In the second game, Winona's offense again got a jump-start from Block, who hit a three-run homer in the first inning. She added an RBI single in the third to account for all of Winona's runs.

JM used the long ball to get back into the game, with Melanie Boisen blasting a solo shot over the scoreboard in center in the second inning, and a couple batters later, Kaitlyn Ward knocked one over the wall in left-center.

Abby Gee would add a solo shot in the fifth, but missed opportunities would doom the Rockets in this one. They stranded runners at second and third in the third inning, and in the seventh inning JM had the tying run at third and the go-ahead run at second, but again couldn't get the big hit.

"We played two good games, but we came out on the short end against a very good Winona team," said JM coach Thang Ngyuen. "Both teams played well and pitched well, but in the end they made a couple more plays to earn the win."

JM finishes the regular season with a record of 6-5 in the Big Nine, 10-10 overall. Winona finishes 8-3 in the Big Nine, 17-3 overall.

Game 1

Winona 4, John Marshall 1

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John Marshall: Grace Freed 1-for-3; Gina Pula 1-for-3, 1 2B, 1 R; Mel Sadecki 1-for-2, 1 2B; Sam Guetter 1-for-2, 1 RBI. Pitchers: Kiara Sennes 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K.

Winona: Justine Schultz 1-for-3, 1 RBI; Katie Block 2-for-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R; Lauryn Hamernik 1-for-3, 1 R; Annika Anderson 1-for-3, 1 RBI. Pitchers: Ashton Hoeppner 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.

Game 2

Winona 4, John Marshall 3

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John Marshall: Grace Freed 2-for-3; Abby Gee 2-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R; Kaitlyn Ward 1-for-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R; Mel Boisen 1-for-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R; Oliva Evans 2-for-3. Pitchers: Mel Boisen 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.

Winona: Samantha Iverson 1-for-3, 1 R; Katie Block 2-for-3, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R; Rhiannon Reinardy 2-for-3, 1 2B, 2 R. Pitchers: Annika Anderson 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K; Ashton Hoeppner 2 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K.