BLUE EARTH — The Winnebago/Blue Earth American Legion Posts 82/89 baseball team stole so many bases Thursday night, it should have been charged with grand larceny.

Winnebago/Blue Earth beat Minnesota Lake Post 287, 8-0, in game shortened to 5 1/2 innings due to lightning in Blue Earth.

After the first two Winnebago/Blue Earth batters walked in the bottom of the sixth, a lightning strike caused a delay. Following a short break, the final 1 1/2 innings and the scheduled five-inning back end of the planned double header were cancelled.

Winnebago/Blue Earth scored five runs in the first two innings on five hits, one walk and an error, with all seven runners who reached first taking off for second. Posts 82/89 ended with eight stolen bases as a team.

WBE head coach Paul Nienaber said the team plans to use its incredible speed throughout the season.

“That’s probably the one thing we have that’s really our team strength, is team speed,” Nienaber said. “So we just try to utilize the gifts that we’ve got and take advantage of what we can do.”

In the first inning, Joseph Schavey got the lineup started with a single up the middle, then stole second before Karson Legred got Schavey across the plate when he reached on an error. Brayden Barnett got on for the first of three times with a single to right, which scored Legred’s courtesy runner Kean Hicks after Hicks stole second.

Barnett stole second before the inning ended with a groundout.

In the second frame, Luke Mertens walked and reached second on a wild pitch before Keegan O’Brien hit a line drive to left, putting Mertens on third. A delayed double steal put O’Brien on second and scored Mertens, before O’Brien stole third.

Caelan Sanders hit a line drive into right for an RBI. Schavey followed with his second of three hits, this one to short left, for an RBI to put Posts 82/89 ahead 5-0.

WBE scored a run in the third off a Barnett double and Mertens single, as well as one in the fourth when Schavey singled, stole second on a pickoff attempt and scored on a dropped third strike and error.

Posts 82/89 scored its final run in the fifth after Mertens singled, reached second on a passed ball and scored on a Sanders single to right.

“I think we played pretty well,” Nienaber said. “I liked that we came out aggressive from the first inning on. In the past we’ve kind of slept walked through the first couple of innings before we turned it on. Today we were ready to go right at the start.”

WBE got a six-inning shutout from starting pitcher Hunter Bleess.

Bleess gave up three hits and one walk, while collecting nine strikeouts, including a stretch of five consecutive.

“He (Hunter) did a really nice job of mixing his pitches, and he and Karson behind the plate had a good synergy together,” Nienaber said. “He was hitting spots, throwing strikes and he had that curveball working today. When he’s got his pitches working, he’s tough to hit.”

Winnebago/Blue Earth (4-1) hosts St. James Post 33 next Thursday in Blue Earth.

MNL 000 000 — 0 3 2

WBE 231 11x — 8 11 0

Colin Bramer (LP), Lucas Doering and Brady Walters. Hunter Bleess (WP) and Karson Legred.

LOB–Minnesota Lake 2, WBE 6. 2B–Austin Yokiel (MNL), Brayden Barnett (WBE).

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Iowa Softball

Bishop Garrigan 5, North Union 4 — The Golden Bears held off a late Warriors’ comeback during Top of Iowa Conference softball action Wednesday night in Algona, Iowa.

The Warriors went into the top of the seventh inning down 5-2, but scored two runs to narrow the final margin.

Hope Steinberger had three hits and a run scored for the Warriors, while Cassie Beadle had two hits and a run scored.

Shawna Person went 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI, while Olivia Von Bank had a hit and an RBI.

Emily Meyer pitched for the Warriors, allowing four runs — two earned — on four hits and three walk, while striking out five.

Madison Meister had a hit, an RBI and two runs scored for the Golden Bears and Mackenzie Meister had a double and two RBIs.

Amanda Miller pitched all seven innings for the Golden Bears, allowing five runs — three earned — on nine hits and no walks, while striking out two.

North Union (6-12) travels to Newman Catholic in Mason City for a nonconference matchup Monday, while Bishop Garrigan (20-3) goes to Buffalo Center to play North Iowa tonight.