St. Cloud adapted softball loses first game of 2022, but still earns state bid

Zach Dwyer, St. Cloud Times
·3 min read

ST. CLOUD — No. 1 vs. No. 2. And a conference title on the line.

Familiar adapted softball stakes were at play on Tuesday night between the St. Cloud Crush and North Suburban Cougars, who matched up with a CI (cognitively impaired) North title up for grabs in the regular season finale at Apollo High School.

The two also met in the final game of 2021 to decide a conference champ, with St. Cloud winning a thrilling 12-11 contest. No state tournament was held last year, so the Crush ended their season with a 6-1 record.

St. Cloud Crush sophomore Logan Anderson throws to first base Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at Apollo High School.
St. Cloud Crush sophomore Logan Anderson throws to first base Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at Apollo High School.

North Suburban got the better of St. Cloud on Tuesday, building an early lead to hang on for an 8-6 win and hand the Crush their first loss of 2022. St. Cloud entered the matchup with a 7-0 record, outscoring opponents 98-26. They also had a 10-game win streak dating back to last season.

"I think it's gonna be good, because we faced some adversity," St. Cloud Crush head coach Mike Bakken said. "It's gonna be close at state, so we learned how to play in a close game."

The Crush had already locked up a state tournament spot by Tuesday night, with the top two teams from each conference earning an automatic entry when state begins at Chanhassen High School on June 3.

St. Cloud Crush sophomore Maria McKnight swings at a pitch Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at Apollo High School.
St. Cloud Crush sophomore Maria McKnight swings at a pitch Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at Apollo High School.

A win on Tuesday would've clinched the No. 1 North seed, but now the Crush must wait to see if North Suburban wins at Robbinsdale/Hopkins/Mound-Westonka on Thursday to determine their seed at state.

"Our team didn't handle it maybe as well as I hoped they would've," head coach Mike Bakken said about the early deficit. "They kind of started getting down on each other a little bit. It was a little bit disappointing, but we made it close at the end, so that's all that matters."

Senior Cyrus Heins led the Crush with three hits, scoring two runs and making a leaping catch in left field in the final inning that brought the crowd to its feet.

St. Cloud Crush junior Isaiah Jancik pitches the ball Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at Apollo High School.
St. Cloud Crush junior Isaiah Jancik pitches the ball Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at Apollo High School.

Sophomore Logan Anderson tallied three singles, while Maria McKnight, Isaiah Jancik, Amara Ross, Gracie Schraut and Dalten Huberty all had multi-hit games.

Huberty scored two runs and started the comeback that came up just short in the last inning, with the Crush stranding runners at second and third base on the final out to lose 8-6.

"We have some new players that really stepped it up, and then some veterans that have kind of led the way," Bakken said. "We're proud of them no matter what. We made state, and we've had a good season. Even if it was our first loss."

St. Cloud will play at either 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. June 3 at Chanhassen High School for their state quarterfinals game. It will be their first state appearance since 2019, with the tournament canceled the past two seasons. St. Cloud previously won back-to-back CI state titles in 2017 and 2018.

Zach Dwyer is a sports reporter and photographer for the St. Cloud Times. Reach him at 320-406-5660 or zdwyer@stcloudtimes.com. Follow him on Twitter @sctimeszach.

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This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: St. Cloud adapted softball loses first game of 2022, still earns state bid