ABOVE: Fairmont's Gabriella Leiding winds up ready to throw a ball home in a Big South Conference softball game Tuesday in Fairmont.

FAIRMONT – In a tight Big South Conference softball game Tuesday between the Fairmont Cardinals and the Windom Eagles, the Eagles got enough offense going late to top the Cardinals 3-2.

“We had some opportunities early on and couldn’t get the hit or couldn’t get the ball in play,” said Fairmont head coach Cory Hainy. “[Windom pitcher Anja Nielsen] got out of those innings with some strikeouts. If we put the ball in play and score some runs, I think the game would look a lot different. And to their credit, they got out of it with some strikeouts, and we didn’t cash in on those opportunities.”

Leading the Cardinals was Brylee Miller, who went 2 for 3 with a home run, while Gwyneth Schultz went 2 for 4 with an RBI. Ilanna Moeller and Gabriella Leiding went 1 for 3, and in the circle, Miller struck out six through seven innings.

A leadoff single opened the game for Windom, but Fairmont sat down the next three batters with a pop out, line out, and ground out, keeping the score at 0-0. Fairmont got two runners on in the bottom of the first inning, but could not convert before the Eagles got out of the inning.

Both teams managed to get a runner on in the second, but the score remained 0-0 at the top of the third inning.

Windom threatened at the top of the inning, managing to get a runner to third base, but a lineout to Leiding kept the Eagles off the scoreboard and sent the Cardinals back up to bat.

The Fairmont offense struck first in the bottom of the inning, with a lead off triple from Makayla Lowry followed by an RBI single to left field from Schultz, putting the Cardinals up 1-0. Two strikeouts and a line out ended the inning.

In the fourth, both teams again got a runner on but neither cashed in on the opportunity, leaving the Cardinals up 1-0.

The Eagles’ offense found its footing in the top of the fifth inning. After the first two batters got sent back to the bench, a walk gave them the first base runner, and Nielsen set up the RBI double to right field, which tied things up. Brita Tjentland sent a fly ball to center field for an RBI single that put the Eagles up 2-1 before Miller struck out the final batter of the inning.

The bottom of the inning started with two strikeouts, but a Miller inside-the-park homerun was the equalizer before the Eagles could get out of the inning.

The sixth inning was a quick 1-2-3 inning for both teams, leaving things tied with only the seventh inning to go.

Two singles in the top of the seventh put runners in scoring position for the Eagles. Nielsen sent a ground ball to third to advance the runners. With a runner on third and two outs, a fly ball to center by Tjentland brought in the leading run before the Cardinals were able to get out of the inning. Two strikeouts started the bottom of the inning for the Cardinals, but Makenzie Lowry was able to get on base after a dropped third strike. However, Windom was able to strand the runner and take the victory.

The Cardinals, now 6-4, host Luverne for a doubleheader at 4 p.m. Thursday.