On Thursday both the Proctor and Moose Lake/Willow River softball teams won their respective section championships at Braun Park in Cloquet, while Grand Rapids softball saw their season come to a close.

In Section 7A, No. 2 Moose Lake/Willow River rolled past No. 4 Cherry 15-5 to win their third straight section title. The Rebels took third place in the 2023 state tournament, and finished as Class A runners-up in 2022. They enter the 2024 tournament with a 13-9 overall record.

“Every inning the score is just always zero-zero, so we’re never playing like we’re ahead. We’re always playing like we’re in the game and we’re focused at that moment,” the Rebels’ head coach Kelly Goeb said.

“I think it’s still going to be a dog fight, I mean it is every year we get down there. There’s just great competition all around, but I think we know the feeling and I think we know more how to calm ourselves down. It’ll be fun,” senior Lily Kahara said about the state tournament.

In Section 7AA, No. 1 Proctor held off No. 2 Rush City 2-0 to defend their section title for the third straight season. Kaytlyn Hemming and Anika Burke brought in the Rails’ two runs. Proctor finished as consolation champions in 2023, and state runners-up in 2022. They enter the 2024 tournament with a 20-4 record.

“It feels awesome. We’ve been playing together since growing up, all my life. I’ve been playing with every single senior out here, so it just feels great,” senior catcher Anika Burke said.

“Our dugout was really amazing today. We have a lot of young girls out there who were pulled up who haven’t had this experience before. For them to be there cheering for us, it really boosts our confidence on the field and up in our batting. It really keeps us going. We have some young girls playing out there too, like Brooklynne and Reagan, so they’re keeping us alive too throughout the season,” junior third baseman Grace Abbott added.

In Section 7AAA, No. 5 Grand Rapids fell to No. 6 North Branch 3-1 at the Wheeler Athletic Complex in Duluth. Grand Rapids closes out their season with a 13-11 overall record.

The state softball tournament is June 5-7 at Caswell Park in North Mankato. Click here for the full section brackets: 7A, 7AA, 7AAA.