Rebels softball collects two shutout sectional wins

Champlin Park softball began the Section 5AAAA tournament in near-perfect form last week, picking up wins against Irondale and Spring Lake Park in the first two rounds.

The Rebels began last week with an 8-0 win over seventh seed Irondale in the first round of the Section 5AAAA tournament. It was a team effort as Amanda Kotsmith, Marissa Rothenberger, Laila Nestoss, Sydney Burnevik, Addy Andrews, Erin Kaluza, Lauren Heltemes and Layla Nguyen scored one run each. Reese Reimler and Ava Abrahamson ended the day with two RBI each. Abrahamson pitched all seven innings and earned 12 kills.

Champlin Park beat third-seed Spring Lake Park at home a few days later to keep the wins coming and extend the streak to 17, but it was not an easy victory.

The two teams exchanged five shutout innings to start the game, neither able to break through the other’s defense of the field. Rothenberger was the conductor from the pitcher’s mound, putting together an impressive game of her own before receiving crucial help from a strong performance all around, highlighted by several tags by Kaluza at first base and Reimler’s work at third base.

The Rebels worked hard to threaten early, but potential hits from Kotsmith and Reimler were caught in the bottom of the first and only a walk and steal of second base by Kaluza in the third provided real danger until the sixth inning.

Having survived the top of the sixth with a big catch in center field by Nguyen, a catch by Reimler at third, and a catch by Rothenberger at the mound, Champlin Park got to work. Nguyen hit a single and eventually took second, before an RBI double by Reimler got her home. Reimler was then helped home by an RBI double hit by Rothenberger. Madison Hasselbring came in for Rothenberger as the pitcher’s courtesy. An RBI single by Chloe Postma got Hasselbring home to give Champlin Park a 3-0 lead before the Panthers finally returned to bat.

Champlin Park had defended like champions for six innings and was not ready to stop now. Rothenberger picked up a quick kill, while Peyton Heitzman caught a ball in right field and Kaluza collected a tag at first to win the game in the top of the seventh inning.

The win against the Panthers meant Champlin Park would face first seed Rogers on the road in the section semifinal on May 24, after this edition went to press.