Photo by Paul Trende
Caledonia softball had one close call, but 1AA’s top seed won its first three playoff games. They are back at the section final four a third straight year. Chad Augedahl’s group (21-2) opened with a 10-0 win in five innings over 16-seed Triton (4-16). Avery Augedahl pitched a one-hitter (5 IP, 0 BB, Win), getting 14 of 15 outs by strikeout. Only one Cobra reached. Vivian Kittleson hit two home runs (2-3, 3 RBI, 2 R). Brairy Proulx (1-1, 2 RBI, R) also went yard. Elsa Blum (2-2, RBI, 2 R), Paizley Lange (1-2, 2B, RBI, 2 R), Nora Staggemeyer (1-2, R), Ashlyn Reinhart (1-3, RBI, R), and Adrienne Lange (1-2, 2B, R) helped. Then came the near misstep versus Rochester-Lourdes (8-seed, 12-11) in the second round. The Warriors (1-seed, 22-2) did not have a lead until 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth. Lourdes used a pair of doubles in the top of the seventh to tie it 4-4. In the bottom of the eighth, Proulx singled, was bunted to second by Staggemeyer, and went to third on a passed ball. Lily Augedahl was then the hero with a game-winning RBI-single for the walk-off 5-4 win! Proulx (3-4, RBI, 2 R) had three hits. L-Augedahl (2-3, RBI, R), A-Augedahl (2-4, 2B), and A-Lange (2-3, 2B, RBI) each had two. Kittleson (1-3) drove in two. A-Augedahl (8 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, Win) went the distance, striking out 16. Blum (1-4) added a double. Pitcher Reagan Rolih (2-3, two 2B, 2 RBI, 7 1/3 IP, 12 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) led the Eagles. Caledonia (1-seed, 23-2) then handled St. Charles (5-seed, 15-9) in the 1AA third round. In the first inning, A-Augedahl and Blum walked and then scored on a Reinhart two-run double to get it going. It was all A-Augedahl needed. It took an error, a hit batter, and two sacrifice bunts for the Saints to score their one run. But Cal scored two the previous inning including Kittleson tripling and making it all the way home on an error. Up 4-1, the Warriors made it academic with a five-run bottom of the sixth. They prevailed 9-1. A-Lange (3-3, 2 R), P-Lange (2-3, R), and Reinhart (2-4, 2B, R) each drove in two runs. L-Augedahl (2-4, RBI) and Kittleson (2-3, 3B, 2 R) also had two hits. A-Augedahl (1-3, 2B, RBI, R) and Staggemeyer (1-2, R) helped. A-Augedahl (7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K) picked up the win to improve to 24-2. The #3 in AA Warriors out-hit the Saints 14-3. Caledonia (1-seed, 24-2) moves on to face Cotter/HL (3-seed, 19-6) in the 1AA no-loss “chair” game.
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