Cloquet gets to State after an instant classic

The drama in the Section 7AAA girls championship game between Cloquet and Chisago Lakes was so intense that players and fans alike struggled to watch the game. The intensity reached epic proportions. The Lumberjacks and Wildcats took their fans on a ride that was so full of highs and lows that it is a wonder Cloquet was able to have the energy to celebrate their walk-off, extra-inning win and their third section championship in school history.

It was a storybook 3-2 win for Cloquet as its No. 9 hitter, Shelby Peil, worked a 2-2 count in the eighth inning, skipping a ball to the shortstop with Brea Rassmusson breaking for home from third. Rassmussen slid hard into the catcher and the ball rolled off the catcher's glove.

All game long, Cloquet runners had stormed home only to be thrown out. None of that frustration mattered now, the celebration was on.

Entering Thursday's title game, the Lumberjacks sat in great position, being the lone undefeated team in the tournament. They would need that status to get past the Wildcats, who lost to Cloquet on Tuesday. Trinity Junker, a senior pitcher for Chisago Lakes, threw a no-hitter against the Lumberjacks in a 2-0 game. That set up the excruciating, high-pressure rubber game for the title.

"I knew it was going to be a tough final game," said Cloquet coach Ron Tondryk. "Junker is a great pitcher and throws a nasty curve ball and she had us fooled in that first game."

It looked like it would be more of the same in Game 2 when the Wildcats grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. The 'Jacks responded quickly in the bottom of the second with two runs of their own.

With one out, Brenna McClarey singled and that was followed by a single to right field by Shelby Peil. Lead-off hitter Dana Jones promptly doubled to left centerfield, scoring McClarey. Peil scored on a grounder by Brynn Martin, giving Cloquet a 2-1 lead.

"Once we got the lead I thought we had a chance to win the game because of how well Lucy (Sinkkonen) was pitching for us," Tondryk said. "Obviously things got pretty crazy after that second inning and we all just watched in amazement with what played out."

As good as Junker was in the first game, Sinkkonen was nearly as good on a hot day in Lindstrom. Tondryk elected to throw senior Josie Steen to start game two while the Wildcats went with Junker right from the start. After the unearned run in the second inning, Tondryk came right back with Sinkkonen with one out.

"It certainly wasn't our pitcher's fault that we were down 1-0 in the second," Tondryk said. "We made two errors, which is not like us at all. As coaches we just felt that Lucy has been so good against Chisago in the three games she had thrown against them that we just wanted to get her back out there."

Chisago tied the game in the top of the fourth inning and from that point on, high drama reigned. After scoring the tying run, the Wildcats had runners at second and third with no one out in the fourth. Sinnkonen got a strikeout, a pop fly to short left field and another strikeout to strand the runners. Cloquet had numerous runners thrown out at the plate in trying to put pressure on the defense, which responded with big throws.

The bottom of the fifth inning saw Cloquet's Kiana Bender single with one out and then go to second on an overthrow. Eventually Bender got to third on a passed ball by the catcher still with only one out, but Junker induced a pop up to first and a ground-out to second to get out of the threat.

In the bottom of the sixth inning Allie Wojtysiak led off with a base hit, and after Sinkkonen struck out, both McClarey and Peil singled to load the bases with one out. Things looked good for Cloquet. Dana Jones ripped a line shot at third base which was stabbed by the Wildcat third baseman, who somehow managed to tag Wojtysiak for a double play, ending the threat.

"I thought for sure we were going to score right there," Tondryk said. "There was nothing Allie could do. It all happened so fast she just couldn't get back to the bag."

Junker was taken out of the game after the Lumberjacks' three straight hits in the sixth. After throwing the no-hitter in the opener, Junker allowed eight hits through six innings of game.

"Her ball wasn't moving nearly as much as the second game wore on and our girls were on her pretty good at that point," Tondryk said. "It was a hot day and our girls kept battling at the plate."

Cloquet looked like it was about to win the game again in the bottom of the seventh when Bender reached with one out on a misplayed fly ball by the left fielder. Olivia Diver followed with a base hit and Bender went to third. Diver promptly stole second, putting runners at second and third. Keagan Anderson hit a grounder to third and Bender attempted to score only to be blocked off the plate and called out. On the catcher's throw back to the pitcher, the ball got away and Diver bolted for home and called out as she attempted to hurdle the catcher.

While Cloquet was attacking the plate with no success, pitcher Sinkkonen was keeping the Wildcats off the board.

"I was ready from the start and I was not going to let them score," Sinkkonen said. "I just kept telling myself we are going to win and we are going to find a way to score sooner or later and my job was to be a robot and just get outs."

After Sinkkonen disposed of the Wildcats in the top of the eighth inning, the Lumberjacks came out with renewed fire in the bottom of the inning with Wojtysiak leading off. True to the aura of the game, more drama ensued. Wojtysiak hit a high fly to left center that was misplayed, allowing her to reach second base. Then Sinkkonen followed with a short fly to right behind the second baseman, moving Wojtysiak to third and putting runners on first and third with nobody out. Sinkkonen was lifted for pinch runner Brea Rassmussen, who promptly stole second base. McClarey followed with a hard grounder to third. Wojtysiak tried to score but was thrown out at the plate for the first out. That put Rassmussen on third and McClarey on second with Cloquet's diminutive No. 9 hitter, Shelby Peil, coming to the plate.

"After Allie got thrown out I was asking myself what do we have to do in order to win this thing," Tondryk said. "I've never seen anything like it, but we have always played to win and try to push the other team into mistakes and we weren't about to change now."

Cloquet's luck was about to change as Peil worked a 2-2 count before the left-handed slap hitter skipped a ball to shortstop as Rassmussen broke for the plate. Rassmussen and the throw from the shortstop arrived at the same time and Rassmussen's hard slide into the catcher caused the ball to tip off her glove and roll away, giving the 'Jacks the win and setting of a wild celebration at home plate.

"I just took off when the ball was hit," Rassmussen said. "I just wanted to get to the plate and slide hard and it worked. Once the umpire said I was safe I just couldn't believe it and started crying, I was so happy."

The last person to know her team had won was the person who hit the ball. Peil scampered to first base to make sure she wouldn't be doubled up on the play.

"I didn't know what happened at first," Peil said. "I turned and coach Kerry (Rodd) came running out and hugged me and put me in a headlock and that's when I knew we had won."

The victory put Cloquet into the state tournament for the first time since 2012. The Lumberjacks opened the tournament as the No. 4 seed against the Section 6 champion Benilde-St. Margaret's, the No. 5 seed.

"We are excited about the chance to represent our section at the state tournament," Tondryk said. "What a great way for the girls to top off a great season."