VOLGA — After their season opener was delayed by a few days, the Sioux Valley Cossacks, took the field, earning a 7-2 win over the Redfield Pheasants on Thursday afternoon.
The win required a lot of work not only by the Cossacks – who rallied from a 2-1 deficit to earn their first win in program history after becoming a sanctioned team this season – but by the Sioux Valley community, who ensured the program got off the ground.
“We were ecstatic to get going,” Sioux Valley head coach Tatum Sonnenburg said. “The last three days, we’ve been hammering drills and had so much input from our A.D., our tech guy and our parents just to get ready. It was such a beautiful day for a game so we couldn’t be more excited.”
The Cossacks didn’t have to wait long for their first run as Morgan Lemme’s RBI single gave Sioux Valley a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Redfield jumped in front in the top of the fourth inning when McKayla Schulz and Kendyl Siebrecht each delivered RBI singles to put the Pheasants up 2-1 and the lead survived a Cossacks rally in the bottom of the fourth inning when a liner off the bat of Hayden Gall led to a double play.
Eventually, Sioux Valley’s bats started to click with an RBI groundout by Morgan Lemme that tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Kassidy Smith scored on an error to give the Cossacks a 3-2 lead later in the fifth and Sioux Valley pulled away with a four-run sixth inning, highlighted by an RBI triple by Smith, a two-run inside-the-park home run by Abby Axtell and an RBI double by Cameron Uecker.
“Our bats are one thing that I know this team has,” Sonnenburg said. “When we finally got them to come around, it made me really excited to see what we can do.”
The run support was enough for Zaylee Lenten, who worked around a pair of runs and six hits and stuck out eight batters to pick up the complete game victory. While Lenten allowed both runs in the fourth, Sonnenburg was pleased with how she kept her composure and finished the game strong.
“Confidence is a big thing for my pitchers and being her first game in a Cossacks jersey, I could feel the tension a little bit in those heightened moments,” Sonnenburg said. “But she was able to pick us back up.”
Axtell went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Summer Guthmiller and Lantgen each went 2-for-4 with a double. Ella Jacobson went 1-for-3 while Smith went 1-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored.
The performance left Sonnenburg optimistic about what the Cossacks can do in their inaugural season and with plenty to build on when they travel to Castlewood on Monday afternoon.
“We had a lot of hustle and determination from our players today,” Sonnenburg said. “They all come from various backgrounds and being able to put it together and come together as a team for that Sioux Valley win, I thought they did pretty well.”
