Park softball: 'Pack wins section opener, No. 1 Burnsville up next

• Lauryn Morris

Park senior Lauryn Morris and the Wolfpack softball team will now take on No. 1-ranked Burnsville on Friday, May 22 at 3 p.m. at Lexington-Difley Park in Eagan. A win over the Blaze would put the Wolfpack in the Section 3AAA championship.

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The Park softball team topped Apple Valley 3-1 on Wednesday, May 20 in its first Section 3AAA playoff game and earned a date with the No. 1 ranked team in the state - Burnsville - in the semifinals on Friday.

Park sophomore shortstop Jessica Kullman went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and scored two of the Wolfpack's three runs in the game, Kelsey Waltz hit a go-ahead homerun late and senior pitcher Ashley Kluever tossed a complete-game three-hitter to help lift Park (16-5) past the Eagles.

In the game, Kluever drove home Kullman in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Wolfpack a 1-0 lead. However, Apple Valley (13-10) tied things up 1-1 in the top of the sixth inning. But, in the bottom of the sixth Park took back the lead for good as Waltz came through with the big hit - a two-run homer that brought home Kullman from second base.

The Wolfpack will now take on Burnsville (22-1) on Friday, May 22 at 3 p.m. at Lexington-Difley Park in Eagan.

A win over the Blaze would put the Wolfpack in the Section 3AAA championship. However, a loss would move Park into the loser's bracket of the double-elimination tournament against either No. 7 seed Bloomington Jefferson or third-seeded Eagan at 5 p.m. on Friday.

The Blaze hasn't lost since April 25 - it's only loss of the season. However, Burnsville's lone lone was 2-0 to Hastings - a team Park beat 4-1 and lost to 2-1 in its two games against the second-ranked Raiders this year.

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