ROCHESTER — The Caledonia High School softball team again found its back against the wall on Wednesday, but a late rally this time allowed it to make history.
The Warriors used an Ashlyn Reinhart single that scored Adrienne Lange with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning for the final touch in a comeback that produced a 5-4 victory over Winona Cotter in the MSHSL Section 1AA championship game at the Rochester Youth Softball Complex.
Top-seeded Caledonia (26-2) trailed 4-0 heading to the bottom of the fourth inning but wound up beating the third-seeded Ramblers for the fourth time this season and earn a spot in their first state tournament. The Warriors also came back from a 5-0 deficit to Cotter in what turned into a 12-5 semifinal win on Monday.
Lange led off the ninth with an infield single before a fly ball led to the first out. Cotter then intentionally walked first baseman Elsa Blum to put runners at first and second for Reinhart, who sent a 1-1 pitch to left field for the winning hit.
The state tournament begins June 2 at Caswell Park in North Mankato, Minn. Class AA quarterfinal games are scheduled to be played at 3 p.m. to kick off a double-elimination format.
Reinhart, a center fielder, ended up 2 for 4 with two runs driven in, and left fielder Nora Staggemeyer went 2 for 3 with a triple and one RBI.
Second baseman Vivian Kittleson also doubled with an RBI, and right fielder Lily Augedahl added another run driven in.
The Warriors started their rally with a three-run fourth. All of those runs were scored ater the first two batters were retired.
An error put Reinhart on, and a Lily Augedahl single scored Reinhart from second base. Staggemeyer’s triple plated Augedahl, amd Kittleson’s double scored Staggemeyer.
Lily Wiebke singled and later scored on a Reinhart single to tie the game at 4 in the bottom of the fifth.
Avery Augedahl pitched a complete game for Caledonia and finished with nine strikeouts, two walks, six hits and three earned runs allowed.
