With good base running from senior Kenzie Enter, nine strikeouts from senior pitcher Ramsey Hopp and several big plays by their defense, the Eagles were able to win their home opener 1-0 over the St. Peter Saints on Friday in a Big South Conference softball game.

Enter scored New Ulm’s lone run in the first inning after singling with one out, stealing both second and third and scoring on a throwing error to third. After that, it ended up being up to Hopp and her defense to get the job done.

Mission accomplished.

Hopp finished the complete game by allowing just three hits and no walks.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau New Ulm catcher Berkley Wilfahrt tags out St. Peter’s Nora Whipps at home plate during the fourth inning of Friday’s Big South Conference softball game at New Ulm High School.

“I think it’s a good start to our season,” Hopp said. “Obviously, we can only go up from here. It’s been a very nice feeling to be able to trust my defense the entire time. I know any ball hit to any part of the field, every play is going to get made. I’m very proud of our defense.”

One play in particular came from the ever-reliable senior center fielder Maddie Backer in the fourth inning after Nora Whipps, who singled to lead off and took second on a sac bunt, took off for third and home on a two-out hit from Megan Graham into center field. Backer fielded the ball off a bounce and fired it home to senior catcher Berkley Wilfahrt, who snagged the ball and tagged Whipps out on a feet-first slide.

“I know Nora and she’s pretty fast,” Wilfahrt said. “But Maddie Backer always has a really nice throw, she’s always spot on, so I kind of just peeked at third, saw she was still rounding when Maddie had the ball, so I knew it was kind of a throw-and-tag … I knew Maddie got it.”

The Eagles got two more hits in the fifth inning, one a pop up that dropped just out of the infield in center field by Addison Hage and the second an infield single by Bridgette Roiger. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the hits came with two outs and they weren’t able to bring any more runs in as St. Peter pitcher Piper Winters forced a pop out to end the inning.

Winters, a sophomore, was just as on her game as the veteran Hopp was, picking up six strikeouts while allowing three hits and no walks for one unearned run.

Hopp credited Winters for making things tough on the New Ulm hitters.

“She did a good job of mixing it high and low,” Hopp said. “She spins the ball really well, and I think just moving it up, down, high, low, that was beneficial for her today. She’s a good pitcher, credit to her.”

In the second inning, New Ulm got its first tough out of the game when shortstop Lauren Schmiesing made a sliding catch into the fence in foul territory by third base for the second out. Enter then caught a soft liner on the run at second base for the final out of the inning.

Schmiesing had three more assists after that and caught the final out of the game on a pop out.

While Wilfahrt played third base last year for the Eagles varsity team, she returned to her spot behind home plate this year and has had no problem jelling with Hopp again.

“When I was younger I was a catcher, too,” Wilfahrt said. “So New Ulm Fastpitch I caught for [Ramsey], we go to the cage all the time in the summer. I’ve just always kind of been her catcher when she’s not on Misfits or anything like that. Last year was the only year I haven’t caught for her.”

Wilfahrt did a nice job keeping Hopp’s pitches in front of her and said the tight game didn’t change the way she called things behind the plate.

“I feel like we try to call things that either they’re not going to touch or either they’re going to bloop it out to the field,” Wilfahrt said. “Trying to pitch it so they’ll pop it up or try to pitch it so it’ll be a ground ball, so not anything huge that they can do with it.”

The Eagles (2-0, 2-0) travel to the Eden Prairie Dome to take on Class AAAA Eden Prairie at 10 a.m. Saturday, while St. Peter (2-1, 1-1) hosts Marshall on Tuesday. The Eagles return home to host Mankato East on Monday.