The 2003 Section 5A playoffs proved to be a magical time for the Kimball softball squad. Entering the playoffs as the No. 7 seeded team in the South Sub-section tournament, the Cubs were expected to make a quick exit from the season, but they had something else in mind. The Cubs defeated second-seed Upsala in the first round, with a four-run rally in the seventh inning for a 7-6 win. The Cubs moved on to the semifinals to face third-seeded Maple Lake. This win put Kimball in the Subsection championship game and also qualified Kimball for the section tournament for the first time since 1996. The Cubs faced No. 1 seeded Osakis in the finals. This time the opponent made the comeback, rallying from a three-run deficit to defeat the Cubs 6-3. Upsala game highlights The Cubs grabbed a 2-0 lead against Upsala in the fourth with runs by Amelia Hentges and Jodine Lemke. Upsala tied the score in the bottom of the inning and in the fifth used two hits and five Kimball errors to take a 6-3 lead. The Cubs again tried a rally in the seventh with singles from Erin Montonye and Amelia Hentges. Lemke walked as Mon-tonye scored on a passed ball. Then came a critical moment – Jessica Gully struck out, but the catcher couldn’t hold the ball and Gully reached first to load the bases. Casey Williams singled in another run and then Angie Garding was hit by a pitch to bring in the tying run. Pinch-hitter Jenna Stenger earned a walk to force in the eventual game-winning run. As the higher seed, Upsala had the final chance up-to-bat. With one out, Upsala’s number-five hitter shot a ball over to shortstop Tammy Kuechle who caught the ball and tagged out the runner from second for an unassisted double play and Kimball victory. Maple Lake game highlights The Cubs advanced to the semifinals and played Maple Lake at St. Cloud’s Whitney Park. Maple Lake was the defending 2002 subsection champion. The game turned into a pitchers’ duel between Jenny Gully and Maple Lake’s Brittany Schroeder. The Irish took advantage of three Kimball errors to score an unearned run in the second inning. That would be the only run either team could muster for six innings. Kimball had two runners on base in the second and fourth innings but could only advance to third base. Maple Lake threatened in the third and fifth innings but could not advance past third. Through the first six innings, each team earned only four hits apiece as both pitchers and both defenses played exceptionally well. The stage was set for another seventh inning rally for Kimball. It began with two walks from Naomi Kunkel and Garding. The Irish shortstop committed an error on Amanda Linn’s ground ball to load the bases. Kuechle singled to tie the game, 1-1. Montonye’s ground ball to second was misplayed and Linn scored. After two outs were made, Lemke doubled to drive in Kuechle with the third run of the inning. The Irish failed to pose a threat as they went down 1-2-3, and the Cubs had their second upset in as many days with a 3-1 score. Subsection vs. Osakis Osakis was the opponent in the Subsection Championship game. They came into the game as the Prairie Conference champion. The Cubs got off to a fast start and shocked Osakis with three runs in the first inning. Linn, Kuechle, Montonye, Hentges and Williams all singled with Hentges’ hit driving in two runs. The Cubs didn’t know it at the time, but after getting five hits in the first inning they would record only three more for the rest of the game. The Osakis pitcher calmed down, and over the next six innings gave up only three more hits (two by Linn and one by Lemke) and struck out six while walking one. Kimball held Osakis scoreless until the third inning when a hit, a walk and an error led to the first run. In the fourth inning, Osakis used three hits to plate two runs to tie the game. With two outs and a runner aboard, Osakis’ pitcher hit a long fly ball which the Cub outfielder couldn’t hold onto. Osakis scored two runs, putting them up, 5-3. Osakis scored another run in the fifth with a base hit and an error. Kimball made three errors in the game which led to four unearned runs. When the seventh inning opened, the Cubs were primed for another rally as Linn doubled (her third hit of the game), but she could only advance as far as third base before the third out was recorded. Osakis won the subsection championship by a 6-3 margin. As the subsection runner-up, the Cubs were awarded trophies and silver medals. They also earned the right to advance to the Section 5A tournament held Tuesday and Thursday, May 27 and 29. Osakis, Kimball, Isle and Ogilvie participated in the section field. As a runner-up, the Cubs had one loss in the double-elimination format. Cubs end season in section tournament The Cubs playoff run ended in the section tournament Tuesday, May 27, when Kimball was defeated by Ogilvie in the section semifinals. The Section 5A tourney consisted of two teams from the north and south subsections. No. 1 seeded Isle and No. 2 seeded Ogilvie represented the north subsection, and No. 1 seeded Osakis and No. 7 seeded Kimball represented the south subsection. The Cubs got off to a quick start by scoring a run in the second inning to take a 1-0 lead. The second inning proved to be the difference in the game as Ogilvie loaded the bases with one out and then two Kimball errors brought home three runs. The Ogilvie catcher lined a two-out triple to right center to drive in three more runs for a 6-1 lead. Kimball came back in the third when Kuechle tripled and the Cubs loaded the bases. Montonye added another run in the fourth and Kunkel and Garding singled in the fifth. They both scored when Linn’s shot to left got by the left-fielder. Stenger then scored to bring the score to 6-5. With the momentum seemingly shifting, the Lions doused the rally in the bottom of the fifth when the Lion catcher singled and scored ahead of the Ogilvie pitcher, who blasted a home run to left to increase the lead to three. The Cubs failed to mount a rally in the seventh, and Ogilvie held on to advance to the Section Championship game against Isle Friday, May 29. Thus ended the 2003 season, with an improbable playoff run. This game marked the end of the careers of five Kimball senior players. Kuechle and Jenny Gully both lettered for five seasons, Linn for four, Montonye for two, and Norwegian foreign exchange student Tonje Solheim lettered for the first time. Other letterwinners were juniors Michelle Condon, Angie Garding, Andrea Miller, Jill Libbesmeier, Jenna Stenger, Naomi Kunkel, Jen Schefers and Casey Williams. Sophomore letterwinners were Jodine Lemke, Ashley Capes, Jessica Gully and Amelia Hentges. Award winners for the season have also been determined. All Conference First Team went to Kuechle (for the fourth time) and Second Team honors went to Montonye. All Section 5A certificates went to Kuechle, Jenny Gully and Linn for their performances in the section playoffs. Local awards as voted on by team members were Most Valuable Player to Kuechle and Team Player to Montonye. Statistical awards are Most Valuable Bat to Hentges and Most Valuable Glove to Kuechle. Next year’s captains are Garding and Williams. This year’s team had a slow start but they played much better in the second half of the year and peaked at playoff time. They played their best softball when it counted the most.
