SBLive's Minnesota high school softball top games of the week (May 10-13)
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SBLive's Minnesota high school baseball and softball top performers of the week (May 3-8)
SBLive's Minnesota softball Power 25: Mankato East and West jump into the top-10
Stillwater (13-1) at Maple Grove (11-1), 5/11 at 4:30 p.m.
Stillwater is on a five-game winning streak after a loss to Cretin-Derham Hall a week ago.
The Ponies have three tough matchups against Maple Grove and Park of Cottage Grove in the next few games, and they likely want to stake their claim as the top team in the state.
Maple Grove has won eight straight games and surprisingly only allowed three runs in those games.
The Crimson’s pitching and defense will be necessary in this one to keep pace with the elite Stillwater offense.
Rosemount (12-0) at Lakeville North (7-5), 5/12 at 4:30 p.m.
Rosemount is the top team in the state, and this game may be its only chance to lose the remainder of the season.
The Irish have dominated all their opponents this year, and Lakeville North is likely battling for their postseason lives down the stretch.
Lakeville North is coming off a tough loss to rival Lakeville South on Monday and will be looking to keep pace in an ultra competitive South Suburban Conference.
The Panthers rebounded by winning four straight games after three straight losses, but they may struggle in this one.
Eden Prairie (10-6) at St. Michael-Albertville (12-1), 5/10 at 4:30 p.m.
Eden Prairie and St. Michael Albertville face off on Wednesday evening.
Eden Prairie has struggled to go on a winning streak this year, but it has won three out of its last four games. The Eagles previously lost to St. Michael-Albertville on April 24 5-1, and they have won three out of their past four games.
St. Michael-Albertville has won twelve games in a row and have a claim to stake as one of the top teams in the state. The Knights have a tough stretch of games to end their regular season, and they could lock up the conference with a few victories.
Mankato West (10-1) at Winona (12-2), 5/10 at 5 p.m.
Mankato West has one loss on the season, and its explosive offense has propelled it near the top of the Big 9 Conference.
The Scarlets trail the Winhawks in the conference but have a few games in hand. This game could end up determining who comes out on top in the Big 9.
Winona has dominated most of their opponents this season and will need a strong finish to win the conference.
The Winhawks have an explosive offense and can shut out any team in the state. This could be one of the more underrated games of the week.
Champlin Park (8-4) at Blaine (6-4), 5/11 at 4:30 p.m.
Champlin Park has won five out of its last six games and look to continue that against Blaine.
The Rebels are in contention in an extremely tough Northwest Suburban Conference, but their schedule for the next few games includes Blaine, St. Michael-Albertville, Rogers and an underrated Le Sueur-Henderson.
Blaine has seven games left on its schedule, and its schedule also does not do them any favors. The Bengals have one benchmark victory over Andover a few games ago, but they have struggled with top teams.
It is yet to be seen if Champlin Park should be considered in the top tier of teams in the state, but it is definitely a quality team.
Bloomington Jefferson (6-2) at New Prague (8-2), 5/11 at 4:30 p.m.
Bloomington Jefferson is trailing New Prague in the surprising Metro West Conference and will need to pull this one off to keep pace.
The Jaguars currently sit in third behind New Prague and Waconia, but there is a logjam of teams at the top.
New Prague has won six of their last seven games and are undefeated in the conference. The Trojans offense has come alive the last few weeks after struggling early in the season.
This game is a huge opportunity for the Trojans to keep their stranglehold on the top spot in the conference.
St. Charles (14-0) at Winona Cotter (11-1), 5/9 at 5 p.m.
The Fighting Saints have quietly won fourteen games and have only given up three runs all year. The Fighting Saints also have eleven shutouts this season.
Those numbers are outrageous. They have climbed their way into the SB Live Sports top 25 and travel to face another surprising team on Tuesday.
Winona Cotter has one loss on the year to an 8-1 Zumbrota-Mazeppa team. The Ramblers are only giving up 1.24 runs per game and their offense has done more than enough to propel them to the top of their conference.
The Ramblers will likely face their toughest test of the season in this game.
White Bear Lake (8-4) at Cretin-Derham Hall (7-5), 5/11 at 4 p.m.
White Bear Lake has a great opportunity to run the table the rest of the year, and it starts with Cretin-Derham Hall on Thursday.
The Bears have won three straight after losing two in a row and have a victory over an elite Park of Cottage Grove team in that stretch. The Bears are a game ahead of the Raiders.
Cretin-Derham Hall has quietly won seven out of their last nine games and have a signature win against Stillwater last week. The Raiders will need this one to keep pace as they currently sit in the five spot in the loaded Suburban East.