Apr. 15—PROCTOR — A couple of postponements couldn’t stop the Lumberjacks from starting the season strong.

The Bemidji High School softball team finally kicked off the season Tuesday evening in Proctor, coming away with a 5-3 win over the Rails.

Karley LaZella had a great showing in the circle for BHS, tallying 12 strikeouts through six innings. She gave up six hits, three runs and five walks. Brook Snobl closed things out in the seventh inning for the Jacks, notching two strikeouts while allowing two hits and a walk.

Sammy Nistler led Bemidji’s batters with a pair of hits. Matjea Malterud, Olivia Birt, Emma Greiner, Jordan Pemberton and LaZella all collected one hit.

Proctor got out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but the Lumberjacks chipped away at the advantage with a run in the second.

Bemidji took control in the third. Pemberton reached home on a passed ball, followed by a single from Birt that drove two runs home to give BHS a 4-2 lead. Snobl scored on a wild pitch in the fifth to add an insurance run, and the Rails managed to score just once more down the stretch.

Bemidji 5, Proctor 3

BHS 013 010 0 — 5-7-0

PHS 200 001 0 — 3-8-0

WP: LaZella (6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 12 SO)

LP: Bruce (7.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO)