Eden Prairie tops Tonka in section softball finals

Lake Conference fastpitch softball was dominant in the Section 2AAAA Tournament at Miller Park with Eden Prairie taking first place and Minnetonka finishing second.

The Eagles earned a trip to state at Caswell Park in North Mankato this week and will be among the favorites with a 16-6 overall record.

Eden Prairie breezed through section play with a 4-0 record. After defeating Prior Lake 3-1 and Waconia 14-1, the Eagles beat Minnetonka twice, 9-5 and 12-2 to win the title. Strong pitching by Lily Liu keyed the championship drive. Her best game was a four-hitter against a formidable Prior Lake squad. Prior Lake pitcher Peyton Chambers came close to matching Liu, but two hits by Maya Miller turned the tide in Eden Prairie’s favor along with two RBIs by Noelle Fitzgerald.

In the Eagles’ win over Waconia, Alex Hall starred with four RBIs. She and Rose Weber each had two hits and Liu was once again the winning pitcher.

Eden Prairie faced some adversity in its first tournament game against Minnetonka May 28. Minnetonka had 12 hits to only four for Eden Prairie, but walks and errors cost the Skippers a shot at winning. Kennedy Hedrick had three hits for Minnetonka and teammates Ellie Collins and Whitley Wischmeier each had two hits.

Also on the 28th, Minnetonka stayed alive in the tournament with its second win over Shakopee. The final score was 6-2. Wischmeier hit a three-run homer and added another RBI on a single to give Tonka the edge.

Earlier in the tourney, the Skippers eased past Shakopee 8-7 with Ellie Campion pitching six innings and Grace Pralle coming on in the seventh to close the game. Collins, Ava Klick and Lauren Volling each had three hits for the Skippers.

Minnetonka’s other win in section play was 4-2 over Bloomington Jefferson in the opening round. Jo Wenzel was the winning pitcher with the Skippers playing steady defense behind her. Volling, Collins, Lily Kennedy, Adi Singer and Izzy Guttenfelder each had one hit. Guttenfelder’s two-run double was the key blow.

Minnetonka finished the season 12-13 overall. The season highlight was beating Shakopee twice in the section tournament.