Hailea Books, Kylie Woidyla and Sam Macheel each stroked two hits to lead South Subsection No. 1 Pillager past North No. 1 Sebeka 8-5 in the Section 5-1A championship game Thursday at Adamson Field in Brainerd.
Books finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI to help send the Huskies to their first state softball tournament. Woidyla and Macheel were both 2-4 and combined to drive in three runs.
Pillager plays in the Class 1A state quarterfinals at Caswell Park in North Mankato at 1 p.m. June 8.
"I think everyone's excited, the whole community in general," Pillager head coach Greg Bennett said. "The girls are really excited, the coaches are excited. A lot of community members were here today watching this game. I think they're pretty ecstatic that Pillager's going to state."
The victory was Pillager's 11th straight. They will carry a 17-7 mark to state.
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"The girls are hitting the ball well, fielding well, making minimal errors," Bennett said. "We've had a lot of hits and the pitching's been good. That's been helping. And we've played good defense behind them, then we come up to the plate, we're seeing the ball well and we're hitting it around."
Woidyla, Vanessa Peterson and Macheel all singled and Thomas doubled as the Huskies zoomed to a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the first.
In the second, Books tripled and scored on a Woidyla single and the Huskies led 6-1.
Pillager, which beat Sebeka 12-9 in a winners bracket game Tuesday, added two runs in the fifth as Savannah Sprau singled and Books doubled.
Miranda Paananen got the win. In four innings, she gave up one hit and five runs (3 earned) with eight walks and seven strikeouts.
Ella Kilchesky relieved Paananen in the fifth. She allowed no runs and one hit with two strikeouts and two walks.
"Miranda pitched a good first couple innings. She shut them down," Bennett said. "I think the heat was getting to her in the fourth and fifth so we made the change and brought in Ella. She closed the deal."
Section 5-1A Championship
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Sebeka 5 2 5
Pillager 8 11 3
WP: Miranda Paananen. LP: Ava Rathcke. 2B: P-Hailea Books, Samantha Thomas. 3B: P-Books. Overall: P 17-7. Next: Pillager in Class 1A state quarterfinals at Caswell Park, North Mankato, 1 p.m. June 8.
Albany 8, Pierz 4
WAITE PARK-The South Subsection's second-seeded Albany Huskies defeated the South No. 4 Pierz Pioneers 8-4 in the Section 6-2A championship game Thursday.
Pierz, which finished 17-8, had won five of its first six games in the tournament, including four in a row.
