Huskies to play in third-place game at state softball tournament

The Jackson County Central softball team will play for third place Thursday in the Minnesota Class AA softball team after winning their first game of the day on Wednesday and losing their second.

The seventh-seeded Huskies opened their day by getting off to an explosive start against second-seeded St. Agnes, scoring seven times in the opening inning on their way to a 10-0 five-inning triumph. In their evening matchup against No. 6 seed Hawley, the teams battled through 11 tense innings before Hawley won it in the bottom of the 11th, 2-1.

In the St. Agnes game, Brielle Tufvesson had two hits and drove in three runs for JCC. Mady Wachal, Braelyn Boogerd and Tufvesson each scored two runs and Mady Wachal drove in two. Hadley Wachal, meanwhile, allowed just one hit pitching while striking out 10 hitters.

In the matchup against Hawley, Mady Walchal's RBI double scored Cora Pauling in the top of the first for a 1-0 JCC edge. Hawley then knotted the score in the bottom of the fourth with a two-out but left the bases loaded.

Both teams had their chances over the next few innings but didn't score. In the top of the 11th, the Huskies had what would have been the go-ahead run thrown out at the plate to end the ininng. Hawley then scored in the bottom of the frame for the victory.

JCC will now take on Randolph at 1 p.m. Thursday. The tourney is taking place at Caswell Park in North Mankato.

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Multiple athletes from Jackson County Central qualified this past week for the upcoming state track and field meet.

JCC had male individuals qualify in three events as well as its boys 4x200-meter relay team during competition at the Section 2A meet. On the girls' side, one female qualified in two events and the 4x200-meter relay team also advanced to state.

For the JCC boys, Clay Malchow is going to state in the 110-meter hurdles. He set a school record with a time of 15.15 seconds, which met the state-qualifying standard and earned him third place in the section meet. Ben Dahlin also set a school record in qualifying for state in the 200-meter dash, winning sectionals with a time of 22.1 seconds.

Quinn Landherr is going to state after placing second at sectionals in the pole vault with a leap of 13 feet, 2 inches. The boys’ 4x200-meter relay team of Isaac Hesebeck, Dahlin, Malchow and Landherr finished second at the section meet in 1:31.2.

Rylie Cother is going to state for the Husky girls in the high jump -- where she jumped 5 feet, 2 inches at sections — as well as in long jump — where she jumped 17 feet, 4 inches. She placed second in both events. The girls’ 4x200-meter relay team of Allison Luebben, Natalia Botello-Ramos, Stevie Untiedt and Zoey Hall moved on to state after finishing second at sectionals with a time of 1:48.85.