NORTH MANKATO — A seventh-inning rally came up short as the Caledonia High School softball team dropped a 4-2 quarterfinal game in the MSHSL Class AA state tournament on Tuesday.
The third-seeded Warriors (26-3) scored one run in the bottom of the seventh inning and made the final out with runners on second and third base at the Caswell Softball Complex.
“We had two good hitters up there and just needed a single,” Caledonia coach Chad Augedahl said. “We just didn’t get it.”
He added that it took some time for his hitter to get on top of Visitation pitcher Cece Lamey’s rise ball. Accomplishing that in the seventh inning was just too late to get over the hump.
Caledonia had a five-game winning streak ended and will play seventh-seeded Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (21-6) in an elimination game Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. The Warriors made two errors that led to three unearned runs in the loss.
Left fielder Nora Staggemeyer started the seventh-inning rally with a one-out single to center field. Two errors followed, and a fielder’s choice off the bat of catcher Adrienne Lange brought Staggemeyer home.
The game ended on a groundout to Lamey with shortstop Lily Wiebke on third base and Lange on second after a steal.
Third baseman Paizley Lange, pitcher Avery Augedahl and Staggemeyer had hits for Caledonia. Augedahl’s was a double.
Avery Augedahl pitched a complete game and had 12 strikeouts. She allowed seven hits, walked one and allowed one earned run.
The Blazers made the difference with a three-run top of the first inning. AN error allowed the first two runs score, and a two-out RBI single gave Visitation a 3-0 lead.
Caledonia scored its first run when Avery Augedahl doubled to center field and brought home Paizley Lange, who reached with a single to center.
“My message to the girls was, ‘Let’s just enjoy this now,” Chad Augedahl said. “We can’t win it, but we have two games to make a statement and show people we belong here.
“We’ve proven over the past three years that we do belong here, but I think the nerves go to us a little bit early. When you can put the ball in play, good things can happen, and we didn’t do that today.”
