Simply put, it was one for the record books.
In early May Blaine’s Emmie Slyvia-Cochran was in the zone and clearly locked in against Brainerd. In a 1-0 Bengals win, Emmie whiffed 26 batters in 12 innings – a new single game Minnesota prep record.
“Fantastic game to watch…” said Blaine coach Zach Nienaber. “It was a phenomenal performance. Her catcher Hailey Hlavinka did a great job too. That kind of gets missed in that. Those 26 strikeouts, she squeezed ’em all. They’ve got a great relationship back there.”
“I had a really good warmup,” Emmie said.
Things only got better when Emmie stepped into the circle and began dealing like the ace pitcher she is.
“I knew it would be a tough game but I knew my defense was behind me and they had my back,” Emmie said. “It was just about throwing strikes and making the plays.”
Emmie did not find out about her epic day until she was on the team bus – and is still trying to process just what happened.
“At first I didn’t believe it,” Emmie said. “It feels unreal.”
“It was a crazy week for her,” Nienaber said. “She threw a perfect game on Saturday and she was two outs away from one two days before. It was just a dominant week. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Pitching perfection
Emmie is a perfect 8-0 this season with 1 save and 117 strikeouts. The Bengals have a 13-5 record.
Emmie is a dominant pitcher in the circle because of the countless hours she puts in trying to get better.
“In the winter I pitch at least two times a week with my coach Katie,” Emmie said. “It’s just a lot of training and mental toughness that goes into it.”
Nienaber believes Emmie is the top pitcher in the state. Her fastball is clocked between 60 and 65 mph.
“If I had a choice I would take Emmie over the rest,” Nienaber said. “A lot of that’s just her mentality. She’s a bulldog, she wants the ball every day.”
Emmie’s softball passion was fueled watching by her two sisters play for Blaine while growing up.
“They taught me how to pitch at first,” Emmie said. “I just went from there.”
Next stop for Emmie after she finishes her senior season with the Bengals, is UM-Duluth where she will play for the Bulldogs.
“She will help ’em a ton,” Nienaber said. “It’s a great fit for her. It’s a good coaching staff, she’s got a great relationship there.”
Nienaber believes it’s going to be tough for anyone at the Class 4A level to break Emmi’s single game strikeout record.
