—Messenger photo by Britt Kudla SOUTHEAST VALLEY PLAYERS celebrate after rallying to beat St. Edmond 12-9 on Tuesday night at Rogers Park. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

Sheridan Gealow didn’t really offer up any pep talk or inspiring words as the scoreboard showed her Southeast Valley softball team down 9-0 to St. Edmond here Tuesday night at Rogers Park.

Instead, she left it up to the players.

The Jaguars answered, rallying for a 12-9 victory behind a seven-run fourth and three runs in the seventh.

“I just told them to relax and make things simple,” Gealow said. “Hit the ball, field the ball and make the routine plays.”

Jordyn Rowley and Olivia Tenuta each had three hits with Tenuta driving in three runs and Rowley two. Ellie Nolte added two hits and two runs with a stolen base.

Inside the circle, freshman Payton Will came on and silenced the Gael bats to earn the win.

“Payton did great,” Gealow said. “We asked her to come in and she delivered.”

For St. Edmond, Gracie Harvey was 2-for-4 with a triple, a double, two RBI and two runs, Kacey Kruthoff and Lauren Gibb each had an RBI-double and sisters Hadley and Ansley Oswald were 4-for-6 with three runs scored.

“We learned a valuable lesson in putting a team away,” SEHS head coach Bill Shirbroun said. “We got out to a nice lead, but we didn’t keep the pedal on the gas.”

Harvey got the Gaels on the board in the first, doubling before scoring. In the second, Alyson Nieland drove in Hadley Oswald and the Gaels broke things open with seven in the third.

A two-RBI triple by Harvey was followed up by the RBI doubles from Kruthoff and Gibb. Nieland and Anna Kolacia each drove in another run as seven St. Edmond batters scored in the frame.

Vratny, who started and came on in the seventh, and Kaili Henning handled pitching duties. They struck out a combined nine batters.

“Our defense didn’t help them out,” Shirbroun said. “That’s kind of how our season has gone here so far. We’ve played good defense, and the bats have been cold. The bats get going, and our defense has troubles. I know we’ll get it all on track.”

Southeast Valley batted around in the fourth with Emily Hemmestad and Tenuta each recording two-RBI doubles. Much like the Gaels in the bottom of the third, the Jaguars had seven batters cross home in the frame.

Emily Jaeschke and Chloe Hicks each scored a run for Southeast Valley, who returns to action Wednesday vs. Sioux Central.

St. Edmond heads to Algona on Wednesday.