Cloquet softball team earns third place at state tourney

Chandler Beaupre threw a two-hitter and the Cloquet Lumberjacks pounded out 11 hits to beat Maple River 8-3 and earn the third-place trophy Friday at the Minnesota Class AA softball tournament in North Mankato, Minn.

Shania Paulson’s three-run double in the bottom of the fourth inning broke a 3-3 tie and sent Cloquet (16-10) on the path to its best state tournament finish in school history.

Kelly Carlson was 3-for-4, including a double, and scored two runs to overcome her misfortune in Thursday’s semifinals. Carlson was at-bat with the bases loaded in the seventh but struck out in a 3-2 loss to St. Anthony Village.

In the title game New Ulm defeated St. Anthony Village 9-5 in eight innings.

“I wish we had had some of those (hits) last night,” Cloquet coach Ron Tondryk said. “But it’s a credit to these girls to come back and stay focused. We had some timely hits, which was nice to see.”

Lizz Jezierski drove in a run in the first inning but it was Paulson’s key hit that broke open the game for Cloquet.

Tags: sports, cloquet, preps