Cloquet wins U16 title

Play in the U16/U18 Arrowhead Fastpitch League ended last week with the Cloquet U16 team winning the championship by picking up four impressive victories and going undefeated in the double-elimination tournament.

"The girls played very well," said Cloquet coach Tyler Korby. "We did the little things we have to do to win and we did them consistently."

Cloquet opened play with an impressive 18-3 win over the Duluth Waves, a team from West Duluth.

"We hit well and bunted well and we took advantage of our opportunities," Korby said. "Allie Jones pitched a great game for us and we did what we needed to for the win."

Both Aydann Pollard and Emma Parks had three hits apiece while Jones, Jose Lindstrom and Madison Erickson each had a pair of hits to help lead the offense.

On Tuesday, July 25, Cloquet downed Carlton/Wrenshall, which was without the services of Abby Mitchell on the mound. Cloquet took advantage of the opportunity to win, 22-0. Jones homered in the game and Rylie Goranson scored a pair of runs.

After beating Carlton/Wrenshall, Cloquet took on Hermantown in their second game on Tuesday night and they didn't disappoint as they escaped with a 5-3 win, sending Hermantown into the losers bracket.

Cloquet trailed 3-0, but chipped away at the lead before scoring three runs in the bottom of the third to go up 5-3 before Jones slammed the door along with her defense.

"Aili Huhta, Jones, Lindstrom, Ella Maslowski, Emma Warnygora and Paige Goranson all had hits for us," Korby said. "Both Maslowski and Goranson had doubles for us. We put pressure on them, had some timely hits and Aubrey Perrault ended up scoring the go-ahead run to give us the lead."

The victory put Cloquet into the championship, playing Hermantown for the second straight game as Hermantown beat Duluth East in the losers' bracket. For the second game in a row Cloquet came out with a win, 9-1.

Trailing 1-0 after the top of the first, Cloquet answered quickly in the bottom of the inning by scoring five runs and then four more in the third inning as they took control.

"Allie (Jones) finished with 10 strikeouts for us," Korby said. "We also got a big defensive play in the first inning by Kendra Sickler to keep the damage to a minimum."

Jones also added a double and a triple at the plate. Lindstrom hit her first over-the-fence home run, Pollard added two hits, while Maslowski, Warnygora and Huhta all added one hit each.

Korby coaches varsity softball for Cloquet High School.

"The girls had a nice summer; they worked hard and had a good time," Korby said. "We have some young kids and we got a chance to see how they can play, and that means a lot."