Prep report: Cloquet softball rallies past Rapids

May 22—Cloquet used a big fourth inning to get past Grand Rapids 7-4 in their Section 7AAA softball opener on Wednesday, May 22 at Braun Park in Cloquet.

The fifth-seeded Thunderhawks put a scare into Cloquet, which put runs on the board in the second, third and fourth innings to take a 4-0 lead into the game's halfway point.

A one-out double from Brooke Proulx got the Lumberjacks going, and Cloquet's next eight batters reached base on five singles, two walks and another double.

Allie Jones had it under control from there, finishing with five strikeouts for Cloquet. She scattered nine hits and two walks.

Jones and Goranson had two-hit games for the fourth-seeded Lumberjacks, who will face top seed Rock Ridge on Thursday morning in Cloquet. The Wolverines shut down Duluth Denfeld 10-0 before the rains came on Tuesday.

The Thunderhawks got two hits apiece from Adrienne Venditto and Casey Cleveland. Addison Linder took the loss, striking out four. Grand Rapids will face Denfeld in an elimination game in Cloquet on Thursday afternoon.

The third-seeded Bluejackets suffered a surprising upset loss to North Branch at home on Wednesday as the visiting Vikings scored five runs in the seventh inning and overcame deficits of 4-0 and 7-4.

North Branch used two doubles and two singles in the sixth to tie the game at four, but Kendal Gustavsson delivered a two-run triple and scored on a fielder's choice to allow Hibbing back in front.

Any sigh of relief was premature, as North Branch's first three batters reached without benefit of a hit, and a single, triple and sacrifice bunt followed to put the Vikings back in front. Aune Boben had a two-out triple but was stranded on base to end the game.

Boben was 3-for-4 at the plate, while Gustavsson had two hits and three RBIs. Boben struck out 11 but took the loss.

Hibbing will face Hermantown in an elimination game in Cloquet on Thursday, with the winner to face the loser of Cloquet and Rock Ridge immediately after.

Chisago Lakes pitcher Makenna Thorsen blanked the Hawks on five hits to win their 7AAA playoff opener in Lindstrom on Wednesday.

The Hawks had two on and one out in the top of the seventh inning but couldn't get the key hit.

Bryden Giesen was 2-for-3 with a double for the Hawks, who'll face an elimination game against Hibbing on Thursday in Cloquet.

Amity Sjerven's single in the fourth inning was the only hit the Greyhounds could muster in a Section 7AAAA tournament road loss.

The defeat knocks East into the elimination bracket to face Coon Rapids in Coon Rapids on Saturday morning.

Tigers pitcher Ellie Peterson struck out 15 Eagles and allowed just one hit as her team breezed through the regional semifinals in the WIAA Division 3 tournament on Wednesday.

Peterson went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and was one of seven Tigers to get at least one hit.

Northwestern, the top seed, advances to host Bloomer for the regional crown on Thursday.

Max Berrisford dominated visiting Champlin Park at the plate on Wednesday at Wade Stadium, going 3-for-3 with a double, triple and four RBIs.

The Hilltoppers had offense going steadily, scoring in all but one of their six at-bats.

Carter Boos and Alden Marsolek had two-hit games, while Owen Marsolek controlled the game from the mound, allowing three unearned runs in 5 1/3 innings while striking out 10.

Berrisford had too much on the mound for Hibbing in Marshall's early game on Wednesday, allowing just one unearned run on three singles in a complete game. He struck out six and doubled in a run to support his own cause.

Charlie Hayden went 3-for-3 with an RBI, while Owen Marsolek had a pair of hits.

The Greyhounds were down but not out on Wednesday in North Branch, exploding for nine runs in the top of the seventh to turn the tables on the Vikings.

East was down 6-0 after two frames and 8-4 going to its last at-bat.

A triple, single, three walks and a sacrifice fly got East to within a run but also down to its last out. Bjorn Lind came up big with a game-tying RBI single, followed by a go-ahead hit from Dylan Cole. That kicked off a stretch of seven straight batters reaching to break the game open.

Lind and Cole had three hits apiece for East, while three other players had two.

Joe Nick earned the win in relief.

The Bombers jumped on the Panthers early, scoring the game's first three runs and holding the lead throughout.

Conner Blake pitched five innings in the win and was one of three Bombers with multiple hits.

Christian Pretasky had a double, triple and two RBIs for South Ridge.

Jackson Peterson struck out 10 Lumberjacks in a six-inning two-hitter for visiting Esko on Wednesday in Cloquet.

Sam Haugen and Jamis Halverson had a double as part of two-hit games for both.

Hayden Danelski had three hits but the Rebels couldn't avoid a third consecutive defeat in a road game on Wednesday.

The Rangers erased an early 2-0 deficit with four runs in the bottom of the first, then tacked on two more in the second frame before the game settled down.