FOSSTON, Minn. -- The road to the Minnesota state Class A softball tournament became a little longer for the East Grand Forks Sacred Heart Eagles on Wednesday.
Badger-Greenbush-Middle River beat Sacred Heart 3-0 in a section winners' bracket game. The Eagles, however, stayed alive in the tournament by responding for a 4-3 win against Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal in a loser-out game.
Sacred Heart, which finished third in last season's state tournament, must beat B-G-MR twice today to win the Section 8A title. The title game is set for 4 p.m., with a second game, if necessary, to follow.
B-G-MR scored all three of its runs in the fourth inning. Sacred Heart, however, couldn't convert on its best scoring chance in the second.
"We're two closely matched teams," Sacred Heart coach Mike Marek said. "We left the door open a little for them in the fourth and they scored three runs. They left the door open for us once, and we didn't score.
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"Neither team gives the other many freebies. If the door is open and you don't sneak through, you may not have another crack. They took advantage of their opportunities."
In B-G-MR's win, Rushelle Flaten went 2-for-2 while Erin Efta went the distance, holding the Eagles to four hits. She also struck out 10 Sacred Heart batters.
But Sacred Heart's season continued behind the hitting of Sara Johnson in the loser-out game.
Johnson drove in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh with a single up the middle.
With the game tied at 3-3, Tracy Roach walked with one out and took second on a passed ball. Jess Vanyo advance Roach to third on a fielder's choice. Johnson then followed with the winning hit.
In the fifth, Johnson also drove home a run to tie the game at 3-3.
Johnson, Vanyo and Ashlyn Krejci each had three hits for the Eagles.
Sacred Heart will carry a 14-5 record into today's title game.
