New
Ulm (Class AA) is the only team returning to defend its 2013 title. If
the Eagles win, it would be their third consecutive and overall
championship.
Seven teams are making their debut appearances at this year’s
tournament: Kenyon-Wanamingo, Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian,
and Norman County in Class A; LeSueur-Henderson in Class AA; and
Lakeville South, Anoka, and New Prague in Class AAA.
All three classes of the tournament will be conducted at Caswell Park
in North Mankato on Thursday and Friday, June 5 and 6. Detailed
statistics provided by qualified teams are available from the League
website home page — www.MSHSL.org — as a Media Guide link under Tournaments > Spring > Girls’ Softball.
Class A Quarterfinal Highlights (All games Thursday, June 5)
(Note: None of the Class A qualifiers played each other during the regular season.)
(Section 5) Browerville (17-3) vs. (Section 7) Cherry, Iron
(22-4) @ 11:00 a.m. — The Tigers of Browerville return for their second
appearance, but first since 2006. The team scored 204 runs and held
opponents to 90 this season. Ten players also competed on this year’s
basketball team that lost in the quarterfinals of the state tournament.
Browerville did not provide individual statistics. The Tigers of Cherry,
who took consolation honors in 2013, return in search of their second
title. They won their first in 2012. This is the Tigers’ third
consecutive and overall appearance under this name; they appeared also
as a co-op with Cotton in 2010 and 2011. The Tigers batted .352 as a
team this year and outscored their opponents 224-59, hit nine home runs,
and stole 25 bases. The team provided no individual hitting statistics.
Senior pitcher Kacey Herring threw 258 strikeouts and allowed 68 hits
and 24 earned runs in 25 games.
(Section 2) New Ulm Cathedral (23-1) vs. (Section 6) New York Mills
(21-4) @ 11:00 a.m. — The Greyhounds of New Ulm Cathedral are making
their fifth consecutive and 15th overall appearance. They placed sixth
last year, but won titles in 1993 through 1995, 2003, 2005 and 2007.
This year, the Greyhounds scored 260 runs on 270 hits and they have a
team batting average of .395. Junior Ana Schwarz bats .507 for New Ulm
Cathedral and senior Karlee Pfaff hits .436. Sophomore pitcher Anna Mohr
went 16-0 on the mound and tossed 75 strikeouts in 86 innings. Mohr’s
ERA is 1.45. The Eagles of New York Mills are making their second
consecutive and overall appearance. They lost in the consolation
semifinals in 2013. New York Mills did not provide team or individual
statistics.
(Section 1) Kenyon-Wanamingo (13-12) vs. (Section 3) Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian
(19-4) @ 1:00 p.m. — Both Kenyon-Wanamingo and Edgerton/Southwest
Minnesota Christian are making their first tournament appearances. The
Knights of Kenyon-Wanamingo outscored their opponents 108-81 this year
and bat .265 as a team. Senior pitcher Kailee Berquam compiled a season
record of 11-11 and has a 1.95 ERA. Her bat also provided a team-leading
.354 average, including 10 RBI on 28 hits. Junior Ellyn Beulke
contributed a team-high 18 RBI and three home runs. The Flying Dutchmen
of Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian scored 217 runs this season
and held opponents to 64. The Flying Dutchmen are led by junior Tanner
Gunnink with a .482 average and 41 hits. Ninth-grader Jenny Nelson added
26 RBI on 37 hits and has an average of .506. Junior Tianna Top is the
leader in the circle, going 19-3 with147 strikeouts in 135 innings
pitched. Her ERA is 1.66.
(Section 4) New Life Academy (19-2) vs. (Section 8) Norman County
(21-3) @ 1:00 p.m. — The Eagles of New Life Academy are making their
ninth consecutive and overall appearance. The team also includes
students from Heidmann Home School of Woodbury. The Eagles were the
runners-up in 2013, but won four consecutive titles between 2008 and
2011. New Life Academy scored 169 runs and gave up 48. The Eagles also
stole 33 bases this season. Junior Malorie Giere is the team leader,
hitting .507 on 35 hits with 28 RBI. Junior pitcher Valerie Hohol went
16-0 this year with 128 strikeouts in 103 innings. Her ERA is 1.63.
Hohol also bats .500 and tallied 19 RBI on 23 hits. Norman County, which
is made up of students from Ada-Borup and Norman County West of
Halstad, is making its debut appearance. Senior Hannah Poehler went 16-3
on the mound during the regular season and her ERA is 3.22. She threw
72 strikeouts this year. Hannah also added 16 RBI on 31 hits and bats
.431. Junior Haley Poehler led Norman County with her .590 average and
36 RBI on 49 hits.
Class AA Quarterfinal Highlights (All games Thursday, June 5)
(Note:
New Ulm and Kasson-Mantorville were the only Class AA qualifiers who
met during the regular season. Kasson-Mantorville won that game 6-0.)
(Section 3) New Ulm (19-4) vs. (Section 5) Rockford
(22-2) @ 9:00 a.m. — The two-time defending champions from New Ulm
return for their third consecutive and eighth overall appearance. The
Eagles did not provide team or individual statistics. The Rockets of
Rockford are making their second consecutive and fourth overall
appearance. They are looking to improve on last year’s fourth-place
showing. The team is hitting .325 and seven players have compiled 20 or
more hits. Junior Brianna Calder has the most with 28 and a team-high
.444 average. Sophomore pitcher Bria Majeski went 15-2, striking out 197
in 91.1 innings and has a 1.30 ERA. She recorded 10-plus strikeouts in
11 games this year.
(Section 2) LeSueur-Henderson (19-5) vs. (Section 4) St. Anthony Village
(21-6) @ 9:00 a.m. — LeSueur-Henderson, which includes students from
Minnesota New Country School of Henderson, is making its first
tournament appearance. The Giants did not provide team or individual
statistics. The Huskies of St. Anthony Village are making their third
consecutive and seventh overall appearance. They claimed consolation
honors in 2013. The Huskies scored 240 runs to their opponents’ 96 this
season, batting .395 as a team. Senior Kelly Lawson is one of the
offensive leaders with her .549 batting average on 45 hits with 38 RBI.
Senior Rosie Robberstad hit 10 home runs this season and has a .431
average. She also added 37 RBI on 31 hits.
(Section 7) Hermantown (19-6) vs. (Section 1) Kasson-Mantorville
(25-0) @ 1:00 p.m. — The Hawks of Hermantown return for their second
consecutive and 20th overall appearance. They placed third last year,
but won previous titles in 1991, 2002, and 2009. This year’s squad
tallied 229 runs on 265 hits and has an average of .387. Ninth-grader
Jordyn Thomas paced Hermantown with 27 RBI on 44 hits. Thomas also leads
the Hawks with a .550 average. Kylie Hoff, a sophomore, went 13-4 on
the mound for Hermantown. She threw 66 strikeouts in 102 innings and has
an ERA of 2.81. The KoMets of Kasson-Mantorville are making their third
consecutive and fifth overall appearance. They earned runner-up honors
in 2013. The KoMets, who bat .354 as a team, scored 240 runs this year
and held their opponents to eight. Senior Kaylea Schoor wields the
heaviest bat with an average of .544. She also tallied 27 RBI on 43
hits. Junior Maddie Damon is the top pitcher for Kasson-Mantorville; she
went 23-0 over 141 innings with 290 strikeouts and a 0.25 ERA. Damon
also hit two home runs this year and added 20 RBI on 25 hits. Her
batting average is .347.
(Section 8) Hawley (18-3) vs. (Section 6) Staples-Motley (14-5) @
1:00 p.m. — The Hawley Nuggets return to tournament action after a
one-year absence to make their fourth appearance. Ninth-grader Rio
Permenter has the highest average for the Nuggets; she hits .452 and
tallied 12 RBI on 19 hits this year. Junior Jody Noreen went 12-2 in the
circle for Hawley with a 0.77 ERA. She also had 101 strikeouts over 73
innings. Noreen also bats .451 and notched 10 RBI on 23 hits. Sophomore
Katie Bjorndahl had a game-high 23 RBI for Hawley with a .420 average.
The Cardinals of Staples-Motley are making their second appearance, but
first since 2004. Staples-Motley did not provide team or individual
statistics.
Class AAA Quarterfinal Highlights (All games Thursday, June 5)
(Schedule Note — To accommodate commencement ceremonies, any
second-round game involving Lakeville South will be played Thursday,
June 5, at approximately noon on Field 5.)
(Section 1) Lakeville South (19-5) vs. (Section 6) Orono (18-3) @
9:00 a.m. — This game is a rematch of a regular-season contest that
Lakeville South won 1-0. This is the first tournament appearance for the
Cougars of Lakeville South. In addition to Orono, they also faced
fellow qualifier Bloomington Jefferson this year, losing 8-2. The
Cougars scored 158 runs while holding opponents to 71 and they have a
.330 batting average. Sophomore Madison Rutter and junior Isabella Laden
bat .406 and .404, respectively, for Lakeville South. Laden had 25 RBI
on 28 hits and Rutter added 20 RBI on 26 hits. Senior Kylie Stober
(11-4) is the primary hurler and struck out 153 in 94 innings and has a
2.45 ERA. The Spartans of Orono return for their third consecutive and
fifth overall appearance. They placed sixth last year and won one
previous title in 2008. During the regular-season, the Spartans lost to
North 4-1. Senior Madison Arends is the offensive leader with 44 RBI on
22 hits. Senior Rebekah Smith tallied 35 RBI on 18 hits. Orono did not
provide team statistics.
(Section 8) Becker (21-2) vs. (Section 7) Anoka (19-2)
@ 9:00 a.m. — The Bulldogs of Becker return for their third appearance,
but first since 2009. They did not face any other qualifiers during the
regular season. Becker is hitting .370 as a team and outscored
opponents 202-46. Senior Allison Cieslak powers the offense with a .438
average and 33 RBI on 39 hits. She also hit six home runs this year.
Junior Samantha Lorette has a team-leading .446 average and notched 15
RBI on 33 hits. Junior Haley Harmon (8-1) and ninth-grader Brianna Corey
(12-0) share the pitching duties for Becker. Harmon pitched 53 innings
with 69 strikeouts and her ERA is 0.92. Corey threw 46 strikeouts in 68
innings with an ERA of 1.22. The Anoka Tornadoes are making their debut
appearance. This season, the Tornadoes split a series with Maple Grove,
losing 3-1 and winning 16-0 in five innings. Anoka bats .375 as a team
and had 155 RBI on 223 hits. Opponents were held to 45 runs while the
Tornadoes scored 192. Senior pitcher Megan Lindenfelser has the best
batting average of .518, including 34 RBI on 29 hits and nine home runs.
Lendenfelser went 11-2 on the mound and tossed 122 strikeouts over 81
innings. Her ERA is 1.02. Ninth-grade pitcher Amber Elliot has a 1.42
ERA and struck out 64 batters over 49 innings.
(Section 2) New Prague (18-5) vs. (Section 5) Maple Grove (20-3) @ 11:00 a.m. —
New Prague is making its first tournament appearance. The Trojans did
not face any other tournament qualifiers this year. New Prague bats .350
as a team and notched 158 runs on 205 hits. Ninth-grader Nichole Reed
(12-2) pitched the most innings, 83, and struck out 123 for a 0.59 ERA.
Junior Ashley Hoffman owns the team-leading .431 batting average with 21
RBI on 22 hits. Ninth-grader Taylor Koehnen bats .403 for the Trojans
and added 22 RBI on 27 hits. The Crimson of Maple Grove are making their
third consecutive and fifth overall appearance. They placed fourth in
2013. The Crimson split a series with Anoka this year, winning 3-1 and
losing 16-0 in five innings. Maple Grove hits .356 as a team and
outscored its opponents 139-60. Junior Sydney Smith leads the offense
with her .578 average and 37 hits and 23 RBI. Smith also went 19-1 as
the Crimson’s top pitcher. She tossed 232 strikeouts over 130 innings
and has an ERA of 0.60. Senior Jordan Mauch hit five home runs this year
and has a .481 batting average. She also added 24 RBI on 25 hits.
(Section 3) Bloomington Jefferson (20-3) vs. (Section 4) North, North
St. Paul (21-3) @ 11:00 a.m. — The Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars are
making their fourth consecutive and overall appearance, having won the
2013 consolation title. They defeated Lakeville South 8-2 this year. The
Jaguars tallied 161 runs on 252 hits this year and they bat .385 as a
team. Senior Kylie Macziewski led the Jaguars with 32 RBI on 43 hits and
has a .531 batting average. Senior Krista Flugstad compiled a 17-3
record on the mound with 155 strikeouts in 130 innings. Her ERA is 1.30.
Senior Haley Schanks was the top pitcher for North. She went 14-3 on
the season and threw 148 strikeouts over 106 innings. Her ERA is 1.18.
Seniors Katelyn Stepaniak and Erin Jungmann led the offensive charge for
the Polars. Stepaniak had 21 RBI on 36 hits and her average is .529.
Jungmann added 42 RBI on 37 hits with a .493 average.
Schedule
Following
Thursday’s quarterfinal games, the Class AAA semifinals (both
championship and consolation) are scheduled for 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. (with the Lakeville South exception noted above).
The Class AA semifinals will be played at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. The
Class A semifinals will be played at 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
The consolation championships for all three classes will be played at
9:00 a.m. on Friday, followed by all third-place games at 11:00 a.m. The
Class AA championship will begin at 1:00 p.m. The Class AAA title game
will start at 1:30 p.m., and the Class A title game will begin at 2:00
p.m.
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