WAITE PARK - The Ridgewater softball team lost in the title game of the MCAC Southern Division playoffs on Saturday, but the Warriors still advanced to the Region 13A playoffs.
The Warriors defeated Riverland 6-1 in the quarterfinals and downed Anoka-Ramsey in the semifinals 10-8 to advance to the final, where they fell to St. Cloud Technical College 10-8.
Ridgewater, Tech, Minnesota West and Century College will play for the 13A championship on Thursday at Friday at River’s Edge Park in Waite Park. Seedings, pairings and game times are yet to be determined.
After roughing up Riverland in their opener, the Warriors needed eight innings to edge Anoka-Ramsey. Tied 8-8 in the top of the eighth, Ridgewater’s Jess Kalenberg hit a one-out single and scored on Brielle Hauge’s triple. Hauge then scored on Brooke Carlson’s sacrifice fly.
Kalenberg set down Anoka-Ramsey in the bottom of the inning to earn the victory.
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In the final, Ridgewater took a 3-0 lead but Tech’s bats came alive in the middle innings, with 10 runs in third, fourth and fifth innings to take a 10-3 lead.
Ridgewater rallied with five runs in the fourth and fifth innings but couldn’t press across any more runs in the final two innings.
“They’re a heavy hitting team,” Warriors head coach Todd Thorstad said. “It was a slugfest, back and forth, and they strung some runs together in middle innings.”
The Warriors and Tech split two games during the regular season, and Thorstad said the outcome could easily swing the other way should the two teams meet again.
“Can’t complain,” Thorstad said. “We hit the ball well and we had our chances against against St. Cloud. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”
MCAC Southern Division playoffs
Quarterfinals
Ridgewater 6,
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Riverland 1
Riverland 100 000 0 - 1 3 2
Ridgewater 000 141 x - 6 8 0
HITTING – Riverland: Ali Clennon 3-3 rbi … Ridgewater: Kari Shipman 1-4, Jess Kalenberg 1-4 3b rbi, Brielle Hauge 1-4 3b rbi, Brittany Nissen 1-3 3b, Brenna Holwerda 2-3 2b rbi-3, Jenna Kincaide 1-1, Alicia Koenen 1-1 2b
PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) – Riverland: LP-Clennon 6-8-6-5-1-2 … Ridgewater: WP-Nissen 7-3-2-1-3-6
Semifinals
Ridgewater 10,
Anoka-Ramsey 8
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Ridgewater 003 310 12 - 10 14 2
Anoka-Ramsey 201 400 10 - 8 10 5
HITTING – Ridgewater: Shipman 2-5 rbi, Kalenberg 2-5 rbi-3, Hauge 2-5 3b rbi, Brooke Carlson 0-3 rbi, Datri Jensen 3-5 rbi, Nissen 2-4, Holwerda 2-4 2b, Justine Otremba 0-2 rbi-2, Kincaide 1-4 … Anoka-Ramsey: Ellie Heid 3-4 2b-2 rbi, Sam Hanus 3-4
PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) – Ridgewater: WP-Kalenberg 8-10-8-4-1-6 … Anoka-Ramsey: LP-Brittany Jorgenson 8-14-10-6-1-0
Championship
St. Cloud Tech 10, Ridgewater 8
SC Tech 003 340 0 - 10 14 1
Ridgewater 210 230 0 - 8 14 0
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HITTING – St. Cloud Tech: Samantha Steffes 2-5 rbi-2, Steph Sknira 2-3 rbi, Jess Davison 2-2 rbi-3 … Ridgewater: Shipman 1-5, Kalenberg 3-4 rbi, Hauge 1-4, Carlson 1-4 2b, Jensen 1-4 rbi-2, Nissen 3-4, Koenen 2-3 hr rbi, Kincaide 2-4 2b rbi-2
PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) – St. Cloud Tech: WP-Steffes 7-14-8-7-1-1 … Ridgewater: LP-Nissen 5-13-10-10-5-1, Koenen 2-1-0-0-1-1
