QUICK TOSS — Martin County West second baseman Thea Anderson (right) zips a quick throw to Maverick first baseman Kiley Bettin for an out against Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s during an elimination game in the Section 2A softball playoffs on Saturday at Caswell Park in North Mankato. The Knights went on to outslug the Mavericks, 16-9. (Photo by Greg Abel)

NORTH MANKATO — Trailing 9-2 heading into the bottom of the second inning of Saturday’s Section 2A elimination game, the chances of Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s advancing looked bleak at Caswell Park.

Designated player Kallie Zarn and second baseman Sydney Windschitl, however, triggered a late-inning comeback at the Martin County West Mavericks’ expense and advanced the Knights to the next playoff round with a 16-9 win in the 90-degree temperatures.

St. Mary’s then coasted to a 10-0, five-inning victory over Madelia on Saturday afternoon to reach the double-elimination sectional’s final four.

The Knights (16-7) face Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart in a 5 p.m. elimination game Tuesday at Caswell Park, with the winner taking on Nicollet at 7 p.m. that night.

Martin County West closed out its season with a 9-11 record.

“That’s been our plight all season long,” said Maverick mentor Darrell Ziegler, whose batting order erupted for all of its runs during the top of the second inning. “We break out for a big inning offensively, but then turn around and give up a big inning to our opponents.”

The Knights generated two runs in the bottom of the first inning behind Windschitl’s double, a throwing error on Megan Ahlness’ comebacker and Emily Weiss’ RBI single before the proverbial floodgates opened for the Mavericks.

Martin County West produced seven of its nine hits while sending a dozen players to the batter’s box during the top of the second to grab a 9-2 edge.

Emily Anderson blooped a leadoff single, Taylor Elliott reached on an error and Kiley Bettin walked to jam the bases for Hailee Schuett. Schuett drilled a two-run double to left-center before Lauren Borchardt singled home another run for a 3-2 lead.

Lina Arnold walked to load the bases again before Knights’ starting pitcher Lacey Mathiowetz notched a strikeout and got a forceout at the plate. Thea Anderson then drilled a two-run single before Emily Anderson collected her second hit of the at-bat — a two-run single — to stake the Mavericks to a 7-2 lead.

Elliott kept her MCW teammates circling the bases by connecting for an RBI single up the middle for one RBI before Kiley Bettin singled to center for another run.

St. Mary’s catcher Kya Krzmarzick, however, slammed the brakes on MCW’s stampede by nailing a runner trying to reach third base for the third out.

The Knights did not panic though as Allie Labat and Lacey Mathiowetz each singled before one of the Mavericks’ five errors on the game allowed Labat to cross the plate during the bottom of the second inning. Windschitl later singled home another run to trim the Knights’ gap to 9-4.

With reliever Megan Ahlness keeping MCW’s bats quiet for the final five frames, surrendering no runs while scattering two hits, St. Mary’s chipped away at the Mavericks’ margin until erupting for a momentum-turning seven-run bottom of the fifth.

Ahlness and Weiss each netted singles in the fourth before two wild pitches allowed the Knights to plate two more runs in the fourth to inch within 9-6 of the Mavericks.

Julia Helget’s RBI double triggered St. Mary’s pivotal at-bat before Windschitl smacked a run-scoring triple to right field to close the gap to 9-8. Windschitl later knotted the game when she scored on a wild pitch.

After Krzmarzick walked to load the bases again, Zarn hammered a tiebreaking three-run double to the right-center gap for a 12-9 lead. Zarn then scored for good measure on another MCW error.

Zarn, who went 3-for-4, collected the final two of her game-leading five RBIs by pounding her second double of the day down the left-field line during the Knights’ three-run sixth.

Maverick second baseman Thea Anderson triggered a double play to slam the brakes on the Knights’ sixth-inning performance. Anderson gloved a hard grounder off Madeline Hose’s bat, flipped to shortstop Taylor Elliott for the forceout on Labat before Elliott fired to first base for the inning-ending third out.

Windschitl went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored for the Knights, while Ahlness, Weiss and Labat delivered two hits apiece.

Ahlness allowed two hits in 5 1/3 innings of shutout relief to earn the win. She struck out two and walked three.

Emily Anderson went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for the Mavericks, while Thea Anderson and Schuett each produced two RBIs behind one hit apiece.

MCW 090 000 0 — 9 9 5

SESM 220 273 x — 16 15 2

Kelley Bettin, Lina Arnold (2, LP), Emily Anderson (5), Lina Arnold (6) and Ivy Kokoruda. Lacey Mathiowetz, Megan Ahlness (2, WP) and Kya Krzmarzick.

LOB–Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s 11, Martin County West 4. 2B–Kallie Zarn (SESM) 2, Hailee Schuett (MCW), Julia Helget (SESM), Sydney Windschitl (SESM). 3B–Sydney Windschitl (SESM). SAC–Madeline Hose (SESM) 2, Isabella Hoffmann (SESM).