softball

The Owatonna girls' fast pitch softball team won a thriller 7-6 over Lakeville South Thursday at Todd Park in Austin. Rochester John Marshall eliminated OHS from the Section 1AAAA tournament 8-1 after that.

Lakeville North scored seven runs in the first inning on one hit and defeated Owatonna 9-4 in the quarterfinal round of the Section 1AAAA girls' fast pitch softball tournament Tuesday.

Byron topped Kenyon-Wanamingo 11-0 Tuesday, scoring all of their runs with two outs.

Owatonna sophomore Kaitlyn Madole slammed two more home runs Saturday, in a 3-2 ten-inning win at defending AAA state champion Winona. That gives her five homers in the last three games

Monday turned into a busy day on the Owatonna High School sports calendar thanks to several makeup events. It was also a good day as the lacrosse teams swept a doubleheader at OHS and the softball and boys' tennis teams won shutouts.

Owatonna junior Jason Williamson earned the MVP award at Saturday's Lakeville North mega meet. He won three events and was third in another as the Huskies won the 13-team meet they added to their schedule to replace one of their canceled dates.

The Owatonna softball team finally got their season started Tuesday, dropping a pair of games to Mankato East at Caswell Park. A late-inning comeback fell just short 6-4 in the opener. OHS briefly held a lead in the second game until East hit a pair of home runs while winning 15-5 in six innings.

Several local high school teams played their season openers Friday. At least a couple more will get their seasons underway Saturday. Outdoor baseball and softball should start soon. Many teams have had events and games canceled that won't be made up.

The high school spring sports season began Thursday for a number of local teams, though postponements still outnumbered the events that got in. Owatonna's boys' tennis team won their season opener at Mankato West 5-2. The Huskies have had three meets delayed.

This is getting old for high school spring sports athletes. They have been cooped up in gyms since practice began, which was March 12 in some cases. In addition to working on drills and conditioning, some have gotten creative to pass the time and stay excited about coming to practice.