MONDOVI — Mondovi narrowly sneaked away with a 2-0 win over Spring Valley softball, with the pitching and defense from both teams looking as rock-solid as it has all season.

“I actually thought our girls played really well tonight,” Head Coach Matt Ducklow said. “We’ve been talking to the girls about the process of taking it day by day, getting better by the day, and I think, for the most part, we’ve done that as the year’s gone on.”

After losing 13-3 against Mondovi on April 24, Spring Valley made some big improvements, and it started with junior Megan Harvey shutting things down. Behind her, the Cardinal defense made just two errors, a notable improvement after accruing seven May 9 against Boyceville and eight May 12 against Durand Arkansaw.

“[Harvey] pitched really well tonight. She kind of had them off balance a little bit, and she did a really good job of throwing strikes,” Ducklow said. “For the most part, I thought our fielding was really good tonight. I think we had two errors, one was kind of a costly error for us.”

At 2-15 on the year, the team has had its share of struggles. With just two seniors on the team and Ducklow in his first season coaching softball, the team has spent the season working through new systems to establish a culture.

“It’s been a good experience,” Ducklow said. “Is it tough to be 2-15, yeah it is… but they’ve come to practice with a good attitude and it’s kind of creating our own identity.”

The Cardinals are excited to host a playoff game at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 22 against a 0-12 New Auburn team. Ducklow knows the strides his team has taken, and they are ready to show it on the largest stage.

“A game that we’re excited to play,” Ducklow said. “Our girls, one of their goals this year was to win a playoff game, and I think we’ve kind of put ourselves in position to be in a good position to do that.”