REBELS WITHOUT A DOUBT - Pioneer Press

HIGH SCHOOLS: CLASS 4A SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP >> CHAMPLIN PARK 6, BLOOMINGTON JEFFERSON 0

REBELS WITHOUT A DOUBT

Husom does it with bat, glove as Champlin Park wins state title

From left; Champlin Park’s Lauren Helteme, Reese Reimler and Ava Parent celebrate after Heltemes and Parent scored on a single hit by Hannah Husom during the fourth inning of the Class 4A championship game Friday at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium in Minneapolis. Champlin Park won 6-0. CRAIG LASSIG — SPECIAL TO THE PIONEER PRESS PHOTOS

The Rebels hoist the first-place trophy after Friday’s finale in Minneapolis.

Image

By Mike Cook

Special to the Pioneer Press

Hannah Husom thwarted a rally with a defensive gem, then all but iced a state title with her bat.

The senior’s two-run single capped a four-run fourth inning, and Champlin Park was clutch in crunch time to beat Bloomington Jefferson 6-0 in the Class 4A softball championship game Friday morning at the University of Minnesota.

Five of six Rebels runs were plated with two-out hits.

“These girls are built for the moment. Any time you have girls in scoring position, they thrive. They want the at-bat, want to go up there and pick their teammates up,” said Champlin Park coach Bryan Woodley.

Marissa Rothenberger allowed three hits and struck out six, Lauren Heltemes had three of the team’s 13 hits, and the Rebels (24-2) took top honors in the school’s first state appearance.

Up 1-0 in the fourth, Husom made sure the Champlin Park lead would hold.

Brook Borwege and Remi Rudquist had two-out singles for the Jaguars (25-3), but Husom raced to the gap in left-centerfield and, while looking toward the sun, reached out for a tremendous running catch to rob Grace Rolek of an extra-base hit.

“I know I’m fast, like I know I could get there. But I was shocked. It was a good hit, but it was a good catch,” Husom said.

Ever made a bigger catch?

“No, because that was a huge moment. I think that was the best catch I could have made,” she said.

In center field, Ava Parent — who had the game-winning hit for the Rebels in the semifinals Wednesday in Mankato — had the best look at what she termed an “insane” and “electric” snare.

“I wasn’t surprised that she caught. It was an amazing catch, so it was very exciting. But I knew she had it in her. … That catch just fired everyone up for the next inning,” she said.

The momentum carried to the bottom of the frame, where Champlin Park scored four times.

Chloe Postma and Amanda Kotsmith had traditional singles, and Heltemes loaded the bases on a dribbler inside the first-base line. Two batters later, and with two outs, Parent had two-run single, and Husom did the same for a 5-0 lead.

“Losing in the section championship last year really gave us that drive, because we knew we could do it,” Husom said. “Coming into this year we were like, ‘We’re the best team in the state’. We had the confidence. We kept telling ourselves that.”

Seeded fourth, Jefferson upset top-seeded Forest Lake 3-2 in a semifinal but couldn’t get anything going in the title tilt.

“They outplayed us in every aspect of the game,” said coach Jim Hanson.