Trojans to face Chanhassen in 2AAA softball
The New Prague Trojan softball team begins Section 2AAA play Thursday, May 26, against a familiar foe. They will take on the Chanhassen Storm, a team they faced just three days earlier in the regular season finale.
New Prague finished 8-12 in the regular season, and were 7-7 in the Missota Conference, tied for fourth place. However, playing in perhaps the toughest section in the state, they received the No. 11 seed in the 11-team section. Chanhassen (15-5, 10-4 Missota) was the No. 6 seed. The teams play at 5 p.m. Thursday at Caswell Park in North Mankato. The winner will take on the No. 3 seed Buffalo (18-2).
Shakopee (15-1) was the top seed in the section. The Sabers suffered their only loss of the season last week to Chanhassen.
Pairings for Thursday's first round (5 p.m.)
No. 9 Waconia vs. No. 8 Minnetonka
No. 10 Willmar vs. No. 7 Eden Prairie
No. 11 New Prague vs. No. 6 Chanhassen
Second round, 7 p.m.
Waconia-Minnetonka winner vs. No. 1 Shakopee
No 5 Chaska vs. No. 4 Mankato West
Willmar-Eden Prairie winner vs. No. 2 Prior Lake
New Prague-Chanhassen winner vs. No. 3 Buffalo
The four remaining teams will play in a double-elimination tournament that begins Saturday, May 28.
In their final week of the regular season, the Trojans split a pair of Missota Conference games, defeating Northfield and losing to Chanhassen
Trojans 12, Raiders 1
New Prague scored nine runs in the first inning and took an 11-1, five-inning victory over Farmington on Senior Night Tuesday, May 17.
The Trojans opened with four straight hits in the bottom of the first, then used a sacrifice, an error and five more hits to take the 9-0 lead. Amber Hoffman led off with a double and Rochelle Koehnen had two doubles in the inning, and three for the game.
Kelsie McFarland and Koehnen were both 3-for-3, while Amber Hoffman, Justine Otremba and Ali Jo Hoffman had two hits each. Katie Olson had the other Trojan hit.
Amber Hoffman threw five innings, allowing one run and six hits while striking out two.
Storm 9, Trojans 4
The Trojans lost their season finale to host Chanhassen Monday, May 23.
New Prague scored a run in the first when Amber Hoffman singled and stole second. She came home on a base hit by Koehnen.
But the Storm erupted for five runs in the second. New Prague cut the lead to 5-3 with a pair in the third, with Amber Hoffman getting hit by a pitch and scoring on a home run by McFarland.
Chanhassen added three in the fourth and one more in the sixth.
Andrea Wick and Brittany Watschke pitched for the Trojans. Wick went 3-2/3 innings and allowed eight runs on just two this. She walked six and was hampered by four Trojan errors. Watschke pitched 2-1/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits.
The Trojans had 11 hits from 11 different players: Amber Hoffman Megan Bissell, McFarland, Lindsey Sindelir, Koehnen, Olson, Otremba, Megan Dyslin, Hannah Seurer, Tasha Bissell and Ali Jo Hoffman.
