BLOOMING PRAIRIE — The Awesome Blossoms softball team had a rough weekend and a tough start to Monday’s game against Faribault Bethlehem Academy, but Blooming Prairie picked itself up as it rallied to win 6-5 in BP Monday.

FBA (6-3 overall) jumped out to a 2-0 lead when Kate Jasinki hit a two-out, two-run homer in the second inning, but BP took a 5-2 lead in the fourth when Maya Lembke doubled in two runs and McKenna Hein doubled in another run. 

“We needed to bring our bats and we did tonight,” Hein said. “We were all hitting. We weren’t expecting that early home run at all, but we were all picking each other up.”

The Cardinals added three runs off four hits off of BP pitcher Riauna Bishop to tie the game at 5-5 in the top of the fifth. Bishop was able to find redemption when she hammered an RBI double to give BP the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth and she pitched two scoreless innings to lock up the win.

“I just had confidence,” Bishop said of her RBI. “Bringing the bats makes it a lot more fun. The energy was a lot better today than this weekend.”

BP had lost to Randolph 16-2 and lost to Mayer Lutheran 12-0 over the weekend, but BP played much better on Monday. BP head coach Lonnie Lembke is hoping his team can continue to make strides before the team opens Section 1A tournament play May 21.

“They needed to come back from the way we played this weekend and they responded very well. BA is a good team,” Lembke said. “I think if these girls stay focused and just bring that intensity they brought today, we’ll be fine.”

Hein made some big defensive plays at shortstop for BP and she also made sure to help Bishop, a sophomore, keep relaxed in the circle. Both players have seen time pitching for BP this season and Hein, a senior, said they have a strong bond.

“We support each other a lot and we bounce things off each other,” Hein said of how she works with Bishop. “I don’t think our team is where we want to be for playoffs yet, but we can change pace really fast and things can happen. We want to peak during the playoffs.”

FBA 0 2 0  0 3 0  0  —  5  9  3

BP 0 2 0  3 1 0  X  —  6  5  1

BP pitching: Riauna Bishop (W) 7 IP, 9 H, 2 BB, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 K, 1 HBP

BP hitting: Linnea Sunde, 0-for-1, R, SB, 3 BBs; Emma Christianson, 1-for-4, R; Maya Lembke, 1-for-4, double, 2 RBIs; McKenna Hein, 1-for-3, double, RBI, BB; Julia Worke, 0-for-2, BB; Allison Krohnberg, 0-for-1, 2 R, 2 BBs; Lila Carlson, 1-for-3, R; Bishop, 1-for-3, double, RBI; Marti Snider, 0-for-2, BB; Bobbie Bruns, R