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Tradition continues for Ryan softball

It seems you can’t have a Class A state softball tournament without Bishop Ryan.

The Lions have been present in the first seven state tournaments since the sport became sanctioned by the state.

And by way of its 4-1 win over Minot in a state-qualifying contest in last weekend’s West Region tournament, the Lions are heading back to state for the eighth straight season.

The Lions (19-15 overall) – the third seed from the West – faces No. 2-seeded Fargo Shanley in a quarterfinal contest today at 1:30 p.m. at Lyle Lawrence Field in Jamestown.

The Deacons (19-6) went 2-1 in the Eastern Dakota Conference tournament last weekend in Fargo, which ended in a 4-1 loss to West Fargo in the title game.

And while the Lions haven’t faced Shanley this season, they are somewhat familar with the the Deacons.

“We’ve seen them the last three years at state,” Ryan coach Julie Stewart said.

The Lions enter the tournament with some momentum. They went 2-1 at last weekend’s West Region tournament, which included a 6-5 win over Bismarck. A win that ultimately helped the Lions avoid being on the same side of the bracket as state power West Fargo.

“The girls were in a great frame of mind,” Stewart said. “Going into regionals, we were playing pretty loose and playing solid defense.”

For the Ryan players, last weekend was a nice bounce back after enduring a nine-game losing skid late in the regular-season.

“I think we played our best softball this past weekend,” Ryan senior Sheyenne Schmidt said.

In other tournament action, Dickinson, the top-seed from the West, faces Fargo North in the day’s first game. The Midgets, who needed a walk-off suicide squeeze, to beat Ryan in the West Region semifinals could face Ryan again on Saturday.

“I don’t go in thinking about other teams,” Stewart said. “I am focused on us.”

While facing an unfamilar opponent can be challenging at times, Ryan junior catcher Hailee Jundt – who hit .374 during the regular-season with 29 doubles – says the team needs to stay focused on the task at hand.

“We need to make sure we are mentally prepared,” she said.

In the other side of the bracket, Bismarck – which eliminated Century in a state-qualifying match last weekend – faces West Fargo, while Jamestown and Valley City play in the final game of the day.

Mark Jones covers high school sports and general assignments. Follow him on Twitter @hoopsfan27_MDN.