2024 Softball State Tournament: Class A Championship
Posted: Friday, June 7, 2024 - 6:26 PM
Top-seeded New Ulm Cathedral completed the Minnesota State High School League’s Softball State Tournament, a three-day event with 44 games over four enrollment classifications, with a 10-4 victory over unseeded Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley in the Class A championship game on Friday, June 7 at Caswell Park in North Mankato.
The Greyhounds (26-2) captured their eighth Class A crown in 19 state tournament trips with an offensive attack that pounded out 16 hits. Senior Jenna Hotovec led the way with four hits and senior second baseman Alexa Hornick was 2 for 5 with three runs batted in. Eighth-grade designated player Abbey Hillesheim had a three-run single as part of a five-run fourth inning powered the Greyhounds to a 9-2 lead.
During its three victories in the state tournament, New Ulm Cathedral outscored the opposition 22-6.
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley (20-5) had hoped to record its second upset of the tournament with a victory over New Ulm Cathedral while making its first-ever appearance in a softball championship game. The Wolverines opened the tournament with a 9-7 upset victory over No. 2 Red Lake Falls in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. In the semifinals, the Wolverines raced past West Lutheran in an 8-2 victory. West Lutheran, a state tournament rookie, earned a spot in the semifinals with a 14-7 upset of No. 3 Blooming Prairie in the quarterfinals.
Junior catcher Chloe Cardwell was 2 for 2 with a run scored for Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley, the Section 6A champion. The Wolverines’ other state tournament came in 2004.
Third place
Senior shortstop Madison Burns was 2 for 4 with three runs batted in to power No. 4 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton to a 12-1 victory over unseeded West Lutheran in the third-place game. Sophomore first baseman Daryssa Cruz hit a two-run home run in the second for the Knights (24-5). Sophomore pitcher Eleanor Rolf had two hits for West Lutheran (18-6), which upset No. 3 Blooming Prairie in the quarterfinals during its state tournament debut.
Meet New Ulm Cathedral, the Class A Softball State Champion for 2024.
