Lady Bulldogs Softball Team to Play in Sweet 16 Inaugural Ball Game

The Lady Bulldogs (2-10) punched their ticket to the inaugural SoDak 16 state qualifier for Class A fast-pitch softball. Milbank plays West Central (18-0) at Hartford on Tuesday, May 23. The first pitch will be thrown at 6 p.m. (Please Note: This is the updated official pairing and playing field announced by the SDHSAA today, Monday, May 22.)

The Lady Trojans are undefeated and ranked the No. 1 seed. The Lady Bulldogs sit at No. 16. The Cinderella slipper might require some magic to make it fit, but stranger things have happened. Whatever the outcome, Milbank’s first high school girls softball team will etch another milestone in the MHS history book. 

The eight teams that emerge victorious from the SoDak 16 advance to the state tournament. The state tournaments for all three classes will be held June 1-3 in Aberdeen.

In their latest outing, Milbank went down 2–0 in their doubleheader against Castlewood in Milbank on Friday, May 19. Castlewood is currently ranked at No. 3 in Class B. 
The first game ended at 22-5.  Addisyn Krause, Ashlynn Lamp, Joce Kettwig, Kennedi Sayler, and Macy Mueller each put up a run for Milbank. The girls converted eight walks into points on the board.

All five runs crossed the plate in the bottom of the third, but Milbank’s momentum was halted by the Mercy Rule. Josie Riveland was credited with an RBI. Lamp took the loss on the mound. She walked just six Lady Warriors.

Castlewood put up 22 runs on 17 hits and 13 RBIs. They counted 14 in the first, six in the second, and two in the third. Horn got the win for Castlewood.

In the second game, Pillatzki, Krause, and Riveland made it home for a trio of ticks for Milbank. All three came in the bottom of the third inning, but it wasn’t enough to keep the ball rolling. The game ended after three innings. Lamp took the loss for Milbank. Horn notched the win for Castlewood. The Lady Bulldogs stranded six. 
What’s next?  Lady Bulldogs advance to the SoDak 16. They play West Central on Tuesday, May 23, at 6 p.m. at Hartford.