Vermilion swept in division debut

A stellar pitching performance nearly lifted the Vermilion Ironhawks softball team to an upset in the opening of conference play.

Pitcher Brooklyn Hager kept division favorite Central Lakes off balance for much of Saturday’s community college softball matchup, but the Raiders scratched across one run to pull out a 1-0 victory over Blaine.

Central Lakes dominated the rest of the four-game weekend set, played under the cover of a dome, and cruised to 17-1, 11-2 and 16-5 wins in the remaining three games.