Randolph Softball Takes Home Hardware

The Randolph Rockets ended their 2022 season with a 6-3 victory over the Edgerton/SW Mn Christian Flying Dutchmen.

The Rockets received individual medals to go along with their third place trophy in the MSHSL Class A State Softball Tournament at Caswell Park in North Mankato.

The defending State Champions Replaced 7 of 9 starters from last year's team with a lot of young players who doubled down on their work and got better as the season progressed according to Head Coach Dennis Trom.

Freshman pitcher Carter Raymond struck out 11 with 87 total pitches while surrendering 4 hits including two home runs in the game to earn one of our Cashwise Foods and Pharmacy of Owatonna Performance Deliveries of the Game.

Raymond also had two hits including a triple in the game.  Seniors Lindsay Sundby and Kilyn Fredrickson also were named Deliverers for their senior leadership all season along with Carly Kimmes and Allie Gillette who each had 2 RBI in the victory.

The Rockets had 7 hits in the game.  The official scorer gave Edgerton/SW Mn Christian 4 errors in the contest while I had 2 in my book.  I always try to keep in mind when doing my judgments these are high school and not professional players.

Randolph started 5 freshman and a 8th grader this season in most of the games.  Coach Trom credited the move to the Gopher Conference for helping make his team better.  He was named Section 4A Coach of the Year and assistant Mike Silk is entering the Minnesota Softball Coaches Hall of Fame Sunday.

Coach Trom also gets to coach one of the Class A All-Star teams Sunday in North Mankato.  He will introduce Silk at the awards banquet Sunday.

Randolph finished their season with a 22-5 record and #2 ranking in the final Minnesota Fastpitch Coaches Association rankings at the end of May.

Edgerton/SW Mn Christian had a 18-8 record and #3 ranking.

State Champion Nicollet edged Moose Lake/WIllow River 3-2 for the first state title in any sport since the Raiders opened their school in 1916.

The Consolation Championship in Class A was earned by the Red Lake Falls Eagles who flew by Wabasha-Kellogg Falcons 9-4.

Class 2A State Champions are Section One representatives Chatfield.  The Gophers tallieded 2 hits and allowed 8 hits against the Proctor Rails but it's the runs that count and Chatfield had 3, Proctor 2.

The Maple Lake Irish defeated the Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Rebels in the third place game 9-0.  Top seed, top ranked LeSueur-Henderson edged Pipestone Area 6-5 in the Consolation Championship.

Class 3A State title went to another Big Nine school when Mankato West downed top ranked, top seed Winona 5-1.  It is the Scarlets third state title.

Pitchers in this game were under duress with Winona leaving 11 runners on base and Mankato West 10.

The Winhawks finish second for the second consecutive season and third time since 2016.  They did win a title in 2017.  The year before the Faribault Falcons title followed  by the Northfield Raiders in 2019.

The Big Nine has thorougly dominated Class 3A, since the move to four classes, there has only been one season (last year) when a Big 9 Conference team did not win the title.

Mankato West finished their season 23-4 while Winona is 23-2.

The Chisago Lakes Area Wildcats defeated the Simley Spartans 8-2 in the third place game and St. Anthony Village Huskies blanked Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights 10-0 for the Consolation title.

Class 4A Champions are the Forest Lake Rangers who defeated the Brainerd Warriors 6-0.  The final Minnesota Fastpitch Coaches Association rankings had Rosemount on top, Brainerd #2 and Forest Lake #7.  It was the first softball state title for Forest Lake.

White Bear Lake received the top seed and lost the third place game 6-0 to the Hopkins Royals.

The Centennial Cougars roared to a 4-2 win over the East Ridge Raptors in the Consolation Championship.

Take a trip down memory lane.