Minnesota High School Softball 2026 State Championship Live Updates, Scores, Recaps

MINNEAPOLIS - The 2026 Minnesota high school softball season concludes with all four championships on Friday at Janes Cowles Stadium.

High School On SI will update this page with live updates of each game, final scores and recaps.

Top Position Players in the 2026 Minnesota High School Softball Season

Top Pitchers in the 2026 Minnesota High School Softball Season

Minnesota High School Softball 2026 State Tournament Semifinal Scores, Recaps, Live Updates - June 3

CLASS 4A CHAMPIONSHIP

FINAL: Jefferson 1, Forest Lake 0 — (F/8)

Bloomington Jefferson head coach Jim Hanson doesn’t need pep talks. He didn’t need to motivate the Jaguars in the 2026 Class 4A championship after they lost in the game one year ago.

“We just roll the ball out there,” Hanson said. “These guys fire themselves up, and they’re always ready to go. I think if you brought Team USA in here, they’d come out thinking they could beat them. That’s just their attitude.”

Instead of Team USA, they defeated the No. 1-seed Forest Lake Rangers (27-2) 1-0 with impressive defense and a steady performance from senior pitcher Grace Rolek. The Jaguars were experienced and focused and ready for the Rangers.

“Last year we were kind of awe struck just being here,” Rolek said. “It was the furthest our program had ever gotten, but this year, we were here to finish our job.”

In the second inning, Bloomington Jefferson junior left fielder Heirress Brown corralled a line drive by the third base line. She picked the ball up and fired to catcher Remi Rudquist, who tagged Forest Lake runner Maija Kunshier out during a play at the plate.

The next inning, Rudquist dove and caught a pop up after a Ranger bunt attempt. The Ranger runner was caught between bases, so she fired a throw to first base for the force out and double play.

“Heiress’s play was huge,” Rudquist said. “That is what made the game for us. We all felt everything slow down. We didn’t feel rushed. […] We knew what to expect coming in this year.”

The Jaguars faced Forest Lake pitcher Avery Muellner, who kept them off the base paths throughout the game. Bloomington Jefferson only capitalized on one mistake, but it was enought to win the game.

In extra innings, Muellner hit Bloomington Jefferson junior outfielder Olivia Oerther. During the next at-bat, Jaguar junior shortstop Clarissa Clifford hit a ball to the wall. Oerther hustled from first base, and she slid into home just before the tag.

“Free passes lose ball games,” Muellner said. “That’s on me.”

The Rangers put the tying run on second base and the go-ahead run at first with two outs, but Rolek got Annika Antonson to ground out to second baseman Emily Ly, who tagged second base for the final out.

Ly was jittery running to her position for the final half-inning, but she had the experience to handle it.

“As a part of my routine, I take a deep breathe,” Ly said. “You zone in. It helps you move slower.”

Final Box Score

CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIP

St. Francis (23-4) vs. Byron (23-4)

FINAL: St. Francis 6, Byron 1

St. Francis won its first team state championship in school history when the No. 5-seed Fighting Saints defeated the No. 2-seed Byron Bears 6-1.

"We can have our banner and be our first state champion for the school, and they just worked and they did it," St. Francis head coach Carolyn Thompson said.

The Fighting Saints scored three runs in the first inning, two in the second inning and one in the third inning to build a 6-0 lead. St. Francis third baseman Hailey Ausland had three RBIs.

Every game is someone different who is our spark plug," Thompson said. "Today it was [Abigail Keding]. Hitting is contagious, and they just went out and hit the ball today and made it easier for our defense."

St. Francis senior pitcher Sydney Borchert continued her impressive playoff performance. She pitched all three state tournament games, and she finished Friday's game allowing four hits, one earned run while striking out eight. She had 34 strikeouts in total in the state tournament.

"My rise ball really was working," Borchert said. "I was working the inside with my changeups, and I think that really fooled the batters."

Final Game Stats & Box Score

CLASS 2A CHAMPIONSHIP

FINAL: LCWM 3, Visitation 2

Senior pitchers Nettie Parsons led No. 1 Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial to an undefeated season and state championship with a 3-2 win against No. 6 Visitation. She allowed two earned runs in seven innings on the mound, and at the plate, she hit two triples and scored two runs.

“It hasn’t really felt real until this moment,” Parsons said. “Now we’ve made it through the whole season without losing a game, it’s crazy.”

Parsons scored her first run in the first inning. She tripled and then scored when Visitation pitcher Cecelia Lamey threw a wild pitch.

That was the only hit and run Lamey allowed until the sixth inning. She kept Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial off the basepaths throughout the game, and she finished with eight strikeouts to one walk.

Visitation took a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning when Abigail Hemauer singled to right field to score Charlotte Ferguson from second base. Anna Lloyd then tripled to center field to score Hemauer.

The Blazers entered the state tournament as a No. 6 seed, but they upset No. 3 Caledonia and No. 2 Jackson County Central to make it to the school’s first ever state title game. Next year, they will return every player but Hemauer.

“Every game, I feel like seeding is totally out of mind,” Lamey said. “It’s just another team, and we just play our hardest, and when we do that, we can beat anybody.”

Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial took their final lead in the sixth inning. The Knights finally got to Lamey, this time with two outs, and it was Parsons with another triple. This time, she scored when Sydney Kramer hit an RBI single.

“My biggest goal was to watch the pitch from the hip and see the spin and then getting ahold of the ones I can hit,” Parsons said.

The Knights then loaded the bases, and Grace Thorson drew a walk to score the winning run. Parsons then stepped back on the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning, and she forced three quick outs and the win.

“This team has so much grit,” Parsons said. “I never had a doubt when we got down. I knew we would come back from it.

Final box score and stats.

CLASS 1A CHAMPIONSHIP

FINAL: United South Central 1, West Lutheran 0

United South Central won its second consecutive championship with a shutout of West Lutheran. Star United South Central senior pitcher Mariah Anderson allowed only one hit and stuck out 16 of 24 batters faced.

United South Central scored the winning run in the first inning. Grace Walton singled to center field, and Anderson scored.

West Lutheran pitcher Eleanor Rolf allowed only three hits and one earned run in the game. She struck out five and walked one.

Final stats and box score

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