Hurricanes Earn First Section Runner-Up in Decades
They had an unbelievable year. Houston softball progressed further than it has in decades. They fell a couple wins short of state but piled up the runs, scoring 324 (which may be a state record). By contrast, state champion Chatfield in 2023 scored 218 runs in four more games (albeit Class AA pitching is oft better than Class A).
Houston (2-seed, 20-3) first trekked to Austin playoff-unbeaten to face also unblemished Faribault B.A. (1-seed, 14-4). Despite struggling against Cardinal senior pitcher Morgan Wilson, the Hurricanes were a few outs away from victory. In the top of the fourth, with two out, ‘Cane Kylie Stinson singled, Caidence Frauenkron walked, and Aspen Peterson then singled, scoring Stinson for 1-0 lead. Houston held that lead until the bottom of the fifth. B.A.’s lead-off batter Evelina Caldera was barely hit by a pitch to start the inning. Two batters later, on a sac bunt attempt by Kaylee Katra, the throw to first was high and went into right field. Caldera scored from first. B.A’s. next batter sacrificed Katra to third. Anna Tobin then hit a soft looper to second that bounced off Rylee Boldt’s glove for a hit. Katra scored making it 2-1. Houston went quietly in its last two innings, falling 2-1. Changing speeds, Wilson (7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 12 K) handled the Hurricane line-up. Tobin (2-3) amassed all but one of B.A.’s hits. Houston pitcher Emily Botcher (6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) gave up zero earned runs. Stinson (1-3, R), Peterson (1-3, RB), and Claire Frauenkron (1-3) had the Hurricanes’ three hits. Houston had an 11-game win streak snapped.
The ‘Canes (2-seed, 20-4) turned around and immediately did battle with SEC rival Southland (3-seed, 19-6) in the teams’ third meeting of the year. Josh Swenson’s group pulled the hat trick, taking down the Rebels, by mercy rule no less. Houston scored in all five innings. They pounded out 14 hits versus a pair of Rebel pitchers while also taking advantage of several Southland errors. A 5-0 lead after three ballooned to 8-1 after four. The Hurricanes moved on to their first section final in softball in more than a decade, 11-1 in five innings. Twin 8th grade sisters Caidence (2-3, 2B, 3 RBI) and Claire (2-3, 2 RBI, 2 R) Frauenkron combined for five RBI. Julia Swenson (3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R) and Stinson (3-4, RBI, R) each had three hits. Boldt (1-3, 2B, RBI, 3 R) and Caitlin Brand (1-2, RBI) also drove in runs. Claire Reay (2 R) and Emily Baumann (1 R) plus Kayla Klunder (1-3, R) also scored. Houston struck out just once. Botcher (5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) authored another strong start. Southland’s defensive woes contributed to six unearned runs. Laney Weis (2-3, 2B, RBI) had two of their three hits, their only RBI.
For the 1A title, the Hurricanes (2-seed, 21-4) then re-matched with Faribault B.A. (1-seed, 15-4) needing to beat the Falcons twice to advance to state. Trailing 2-1, Hurricane Aspen Peterson hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning to put the Hurricanes ahead 3-2. But like the first game, fielding on bunts was a gremlin. In the bottom of the sixth, B.A. scored four runs to take the lead via two walks, two bunt hits, and a couple Hurricane throwing errors (which allowed three runs to directly score). The Cardinals never got the ball out of the infield. Houston then went 1-2-3 the last two innings and their season was ended via 6-3 final. Peterson (2-3, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R) drove in all three Houston runs. Caidence F. (1-2, R) and Stinson (0-3, R) also scored. Botcher, in her last high school game, took the loss (6 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 3 K) giving up just two earned runs. She set down 11 straight between B.A.’s two-run first and four-run sixth. B.A. pitcher Morgan Wilson (7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 1-3, RBI, R) collected the win and her 800th career strikeout. Anna Tobin (2-3, 2 R), and Sarah Tobin (1-3, RBI) helped. After a couple very quality years, Houston finishes this year a fantastic 21-5, as 1A runner-up. Only Botcher and catcher Caitlin Brand are seniors. They have seven starters who are sophomores or younger. Josh Swenson has been named Section 1A Coach of the Year and the team has multiple individual honorees (to be released later).
Warriors Post Second Straight 1AA Runner-Up Finish
They are very young. The future is bright because the current is pretty shiny itself. For a second straight year, Caledonia softball is 1AA runner-up. Top-ranked Randolph was their only playoff bugaboo.
The Warriors (4-seed, 19-5) first matched up with Winona-Cotter/Hope Lutheran (8-seed, 14-10) in a 1AA elimination game. Caledonia took two meetings with the Ramblers during the regular season, 4-1 and 5-2. The playoff match-up was a 1-0 Warrior lead until Avery Augedahl (1-3, 3 RBI, R) hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, making it 4-0. Caledonia plated another run in the frame to lead 5-0, which held as the final. Augedahl also pitched a shutout (7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K). Lily Augedahl (2-3, R) and Vivian Kittleson (1-3, RBI) combined to plate Caledonia’s first run in the second inning, aided by a Lily Wiebke sac bunt. Brairy Proulx (1-2, R) and Nora Staggemeyer (1-2, R) reached leading up to A-Augedahl’s home run. Wiebke (0-2, RBI) drove in Elsa Blum (1-3, 2B, R) to cap the Warrior scoring. It was Caledonia’s 20th win of the season.
The Warriors (4-seed, 20-5) then matched up with Chatfield (2-seed, 19-5), which entered having just fallen to #1 in Class AA Randolph (1-seed, 21-1) by 6-0 final (read further). Caledonia started the game with back-to-back hits. A Lily Augedahl single drove in two for a 2-0 lead. Chatfield left the bases loaded in their half of the first. In the fourth, Ashlyn Reinhart and Proulx had back-to-back singles. After a Nora Staggemeyer sac bunt, Paizley Lange lined a two-run single to make it 4-0. Chatfield got on the board in the fifth, as Olivia Karver tripled and was driven in via a Brynn Horsman infield single. After a sac bunt and a passed ball, Makenna Dornack drove in Horsman making it 4-2. But A-Augedahl then rapped a long fly to right-center-field that fell as a triple. She scored on a Blum RBI-double, making it 5-2. Chatfield got a couple on base with one out in their last at bat, but Caledonia moved back to its second 1AA final in a row by a 5-2 final. Reinhart (3-4, R), P-Lange (2-4, 2 RBI, R), A-Augedahl (2-3, 3B, 2 R), and Blum (2-4, two 2B, RBI) all had multiple hits. L-Augedahl (1-4) had the two RBI while Proulx (1-3, R) also scored. A-Augedahl (7 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, Win) again went the distance. Dornack (2-4, RBI) had two hits for Chatfield. Horsman (1-3, RBI, R) had the other RBI. Karver (1-3, 3B, R) scored the other run. Rylee Urban (3 2/3, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, Loss) and Katryn Johnson (3 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) split the pitching for the Gophers. In the game prior, Chatfield notched just four hits in a 6-0 loss to Randolph. Urban (2-3) had two. Johnson (3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) pitched after the game was 5-0. Rocket pitcher Carter Raymond (7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, Win) struck out 15. The Rockets had 10 hits, nine singles. Maya Preston (3-4, RBI), Raymond (2-3, 2B, 2 R), and Ruby Heiman (2-4, 2 RBI, R) had multiple knocks. Chatfield’s excellent season finishes at 19-6. They graduate seniors, starters Johnson, Brittin Ruskell, and Kendall Knutson plus Anna Bernau.
Caledonia (4-seed, 21-5) then took its second shot of the playoffs versus the #1 in AA Rockets (1-seed, 22-1). Neither team had more than one base runner the first four and half innings. The game was scoreless through five and half innings. Caledonia stranded a Blum one-out double in the fourth. Randolph had two on in the fifth with one out, but Augedahl ended the threat with back-to-back strikeouts. In the Rockets bottom half of the sixth, Carter Raymond led off with a double for the Rockets’ first hit. A single and an intentional walk loaded the bases. Ella Banks’ bases-clearing three-run double was the game’s most massive hit. Caledonia got a run in their seventh, but had just one runner on base when the final out was recorded. They fell 3-1. Raymond (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) gave up just the one run, but had just three strikeouts. She fanned 11 in the earlier playoff meeting (a 1-0 win). Augedahl (6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K) gave up the one big hit to take the loss All three hits were in the sixth inning. Ashlyn Reinhart (1-3, RBI) and Lily Augedahl (1-3, R) combined for the Warriors’ one run. The game had just seven hits. Caledonia finishes with its second straight 20-win season at 21-6. They have no juniors or seniors and played the entire playoff run without standout catcher and lead-off hitter Adrienne Lange. Randolph (23-1) has now gone to state seven straight (competed) years.