Hitting for power and average is quite the lethal combination.
Add in some speed and Detroit Lakes' senior Ashley Lund had it all Tuesday in a sweep of Park Rapids at Snappy Park, going a combined 6-7 in both games, including six runs scored, an RBI and a pair of triples.
The Lakers then employed the A and A attack, with sophomore Alice Branden joining Lund on the Panthers' pitching, as Branden added two hits, two RBI and a triple in game two.
"That's what we are looking for out of our seniors, some senior leadership," said DL head coach Phil Kirchner on Lund's breakout games. "Ashley can definitely use her speed as a weapon. It's a big asset. Alice really stepped up to break out of her slump. She also has good speed and anytime you can put the ball into play, speed comes into it."
The lead-off batter Lund went 4-4 in DL's 11-5 victory in game two, slugging two triples and scoring four times. The Lakers used a five-run third inning to leap ahead 7-1, with catcher Janaye Johnson delivering an RBI double and Branden smacking a triple, followed by an Erica Friesen RBI fielder's choice.
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PR didn't help its cause by committing two errors in the frame, which led to two unearned runs.
The Lakers kept the pressure on with three more tallies in the fourth, with Lund sparking the rally with a one-out triple, with Branden delivering her second triple, this time a two run rip to the fence to up the lead to 10-2.
Lund would score her fourth run in the sixth after blasting her second triple and later scoring on a Johnson fielder's choice ground out to the shortstop.
The Panthers would notch three runs in the seventh, after putting together four hits off of DL pitcher Steph Wilson. But that would only be a scratch in the Lakers' lead as they finished off the Panthers 11-5.
Park Rapids would gain 10 hits -- the same as DL -- but would strand six, with four in scoring position.
Wilson had the Panther batters off balance in the first game, allowing six scattered hits and striking out five.
Like the second game, the Lakers scored twice in the first inning with Lund once again setting the table with a lead-off single.
Wilson would notch an RBI on a fielder's choice grounder to third, while Branden shot an RBI single to right to score Molly Braun, who reached on a walk.
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An unearned run in the second put the score at 3-0, with Branden picking up the RBI to score Johnson.
The door was closed on Park Rapids with eight runs in the fourth, with DL picking up RBI hits from Lund, Wilson and a big pinch hit three-run triple by Brittni Larson, who laced a PR pitch to the right field fence to clear the bases.
That would put DL up 11-1 and in the next inning, would invoke the 10-run mercy rule.
"The team put everything together today," Kirchner said. "Pitching, hitting, defense and running the bases, the girls did well in all those (departments). We had (one) error all day and that's where we want to be."
Lund was the lone batter to get multiple hits, in which DL finished with five and took advantage of three Panther errors.
The Lakers (5-4) will travel to Crookston Friday, starting at 4:30 p.m.
Lakers 1-2 in DL
tournament
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The Lakers went 1-2 in the DL tournament Saturday, winning their first game over Fargo North 11-0, then dropping two to West Fargo 8-0 and Brainerd 12-2.
West Fargo eventually moved on to win the championship, topping Bemidji in the title tilt 15-5.
"We didn't bat very well and the girls just need to start swinging at good pitches," Kirchner included. "They need to go up to the plate and be focused."
DL did gain 11 hits in its 11-0 win over Fargo North, led by Johnson's two safeties and an RBI. The Lakers keyed the victory with a six-run second, which included four hits and a three-run double by second baseman Amanda Adkins.
Lund added a two-run double in the sixth to secure the victory.
The Lakers picked up just four hits against last year's North Dakota state champion West Fargo, as Wilson batted for two of those.
She also took the loss after giving up 12 hits and all eight runs. The Lakers only committed one error to further the cause of securing solid defense for the remainder of the season.
Brainerd broke out for six runs in the third to go up 10-0, as the Warriors blasted out six hits off of Wilson. Brainerd finished with 14 hits, with DL committing three errors.
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DL answered with five hits, with none going for more than one.
"Brainerd hit the ball well and our bats were not going," Kirchner said of the loss to DL's section foe. "Brainerd is one of the top teams in our section, so we have to play error-free ball and start getting more hits against those types of teams."
Laker stats
Park Rapids at Detroit Lakes, Tuesday, April 25.
Panthers 000 10 - 1 6 3
Lakers 201 8x - 11 5 0
Detroit Lakes
AB R H Bi
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A. Lund 3 2 2 1
M. Braun 1 2 0 0
J. Johnson 2 2 0 0
S. Wilson 2 1 1 3
A. Branden 2 1 1 1
Am. Branden 2 1 0 0
M. Grubb 1 1 0 0
B. Larson 1 1 1 3
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T. Thompson 1 0 0 0
C. Balega 2 0 0 0
Totals 17 11 5 8
3B: B. Larson.
Pitching (IP-H-R-ER-BB-SO): DL - S. Wilson (WP, 5-4) 7-6-1-1-1-5.
Panthers 001 100 3 - 5 10 3
Lakers 205 301 x - 11 10 1
Detroit Lakes
AB R H Bi
Lund 4 4 4 0
Braun 3 2 1 1
Johnson 3 2 1 1
Wilson 3 1 1 0
A. Branden 4 1 2 2
E. Friesen 3 0 0 1
Thompson 2 0 1 0
A. Pepper 1 0 0 0
J. Anderson 3 0 0 0
Totals 28 11 10 5
3B: Lund (2), Branden...2B: Braun, Johnson, Thompson.
Pitching (IP-H-R-ER-BB-SO): DL - Wilson (WP) 7-10-5-4-1-1.
