NORTH MANKATO — There’s close, and then there’s Loyola close.

The Crusaders won a pair of nail-biters in the Section 2A Softball Tournament Saturday to remain the only unbeaten team in a field that has been whittled down to four schools.

In Saturday’s semifinals, Loyola took on Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial and the Whitney Johnson phenomena in what turned out to be an 11-inning affair. Johnson has been averaging more than 14 strikeouts per game and was in top form against the Crusaders. The right-hander fanned 22 and allowed just two hits, but was out-dueled by Laura Michaletz as Loyola won 1-0.

Michaletz scattered six hits and struck out eight in a game that dragged on for nearly two hours. Loyola finally won the game in the top of the 11th when Jamie Menke was walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Hannah Gaspar’s line single to center.

The 1-0 lead was in serious peril in the bottom half of the inning as LCWM loaded the bases against Michaletz with two base hits and a walk. Michaletz struck out a batter for the second out, bringing Johnson to the plate with an opportunity to win, or at least tie, her own game.

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” Michaletz said afterward. “I know I was starting to freak out a little bit and (my catcher) Lizzy (Karp) kind of stopped and smiled and me and that kind of broke the tension. We have really good chemistry and she knows when to calm me down.”

Johnson worked the count to 3-2 and fouled off a couple of pitches before finally popping out to second base to end the game. Michaletz admitted afterward that the win was the biggest of her career — so far.

“It definitely is,” she said. “We still have a lot of tournament left but, to this point, it’s my biggest win.”

If Saturday’s semifinal was a pitcher’s duel, the winner’s bracket final was anything but. The Crusaders took on McLeod West and 20 hits later, Loyola had escaped with a 7-6 triumph.

Michaletz was not nearly as sharp in Game 2 but got by on smarts and willpower. She left the game after five innings with Loyola leading 6-4, but her departure was short-lived.

Reliever Ashley Maas got into trouble right away, giving up a first-pitch single to Kayla Schuette. The next batter reached on an infield error and Amanda Nordby followed with a sacrifice fly to center field. When Jamie Katzenmeyer followed with a game-tying, RBI double to right field, Loyola coach Laura Olson had seen enough.

She brought Michaletz back in, and she retired the next two batters to end the inning.

“The previous two innings it looked like Laura was getting tired,” Olson said afterward. “She was falling behind in the count, and she didn’t seem to have the zip on the ball she had previously.

“Ashley has pitched well for us this year, but she was leaving her change-up up in the strike zone and (McLeod West) was hitting it. We felt we had to bring Laura back in.”

In the bottom of the seventh, with the score still tied at 6-6, Michaletz helped herself by singling up the middle with two outs. Courtesy runner Marissa Lee advanced to second on a wild pitch with freshman Bobbi Sellner at the plate.

Sellner had not made contact the whole game as she sandwiched a strikeout looking between two walks before stepping into the box in the seventh. On a 3-2 pitch, she bounced a grounder through the box and into center field and Lee sprinted all the way home to end the game.

“After I struck out (in the fourth), Alli Helget talked to me about staying positive and putting that behind me,” Sellner said. “I tried not to think about it. I knew I just had to make contact. As soon as I hit it I knew it had a chance to get through.”

Helget paced the Loyola offense, smacking a two-run homer to left-center to give her team a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the first. Ellen McCargar and Michaletz added two hits apiece.

An obviously fatigued Michaletz was the winner, allowing four earned runs on nine hits, striking out three and walking three.

The Section 2A Tournament continues Tuesday with two loser’s bracket games at Caswell Park. The 5 p.m. game features LCWM against New Ulm Cathedral and the 7 p.m. game pits the winner against McLeod West.

Whichever team survives will have to beat Loyola twice on Thursday to go to state.