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Minot to meet Dickinson in Class A state softball finals

Forum News Service Bismarck Century's Maddi Grad tags out Minot's Rylee Terrel at home plate Friday during the North Dakota Class A state softball tournament semifinals at Mickelson Park.

FARGO — Minot had watched Bismarck Century’s Maddi Grad slice its eight-run lead into two. Grad had just hit her second three-run homer with no outs in the bottom of the seventh the other Class A semifinal game.

The Magicians had rolled throughout the game and all that separated them from their first appearance in a state title game was a countdown of outs.

The first three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth wasn’t the end of the world, but the second suddenly had the Magicians on their heels. Then, Maddy Zander skyed a ball to center field. It was seemingly a no-doubter that would bring the Patriots within one run.

“My first thought was it was high and going far and I thought it was going over the fence,” Minot center fielder Landry Maragos said.

She was right, only she jumped the fence and caught it before it could cut the Minot lead to one. The Magicians got the next two outs to top Century 8-6.

Minot (21-8) opened the scoring in the top of the first inning thanks in part to a Century (21-10) error. The second out was caught in the outfield, but the throw back into the infield was wild. Runners moved up a base to second and third and Cambrie Pretzer got an infield single to put the Magicians up 1-0.

The top of the third was not pretty for Century either. Back-to-back singles, a wild pitch and a stolen base put runners at second and third with no outs. Rylee Terrel made it 2-0 on an infield single, and runners moved up to second and third on a sacrifice bunt. During Pretzer’s at-bat a throw from the Century catcher back to the pitcher went into center, allowing another Minot run to score and a runner to move to third. Marley Foltz put down a bunt to score the runner from third and the Magicians had a 4-0 lead.

Minot pitcher Marisa Andrysiak cleared the bases with a two-out, three-run double in the top of the fourth and Rachel Dockter hit her first homer this season in the top of the fifth to extend the lead to 8-0.

Dickinson 3, West Fargo Sheyenne 2

Dickinson senior Kayla Friske could feel off the bat her hit in the bottom of the fourth of Friday’s North Dakota Class A state semifinal against West Fargo Sheyenne was a good one. She hadn’t hit a home run all season, so she didn’t think it had a chance of being one.

She was wrong.

It flew over the left-center fence at Mickelson Park to put Dickinson up one run on Sheyenne. Dickinson senior Amber Sickler took it from there in the pitcher’s circle, holding off Sheyenne for a 3-2 victory.

“I saw it go out and it was the best feeling ever,” Friske said. “I was just trying to get a base hit because we really needed some momentum to get going, so we could score some more runs. I saw a good pitch and tried to get my bat on it as best as I could and it just happened to go out.”

Dickinson (27-2) took the one-run lead into the top of the seventh. Sheyenne (14-11) opened with a single from Ali Schmidt. Katlyn Suess popped out behind home plate in the next at-bat, but pinch runner Alexis Burke tagged up from first. She looked to be out by a mile, but the perfect throw was dropped and Burke slid into second safely. Danika Balvik grounded out to get Burke to third. Dickinson intentionally walked East Region senior athlete of the year Shay Weber and Sickler got Mya Lambert to ground out on the first pitch to send Dickinson to the state championship game.

“I knew my team had my back. I wasn’t worried,” Sickler said. “I knew if she was going to hit it they were going to make the play.”

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