Two Harbors hosts fastpitch softball tournament

• Softball tournament

Softball tournament

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Last weekend Two Harbors hosted an under-12 girls’ fast-pitch softball district tournament with some of the best teams from northern Minnesota.

Two Harbors started its softball team last summer and the momentum has been growing since. The team, which is coached by Chris Lemke, Mike McGrath, Dan Hebl, and Jeff Johnson, has not lost a regular game in two years.

Several girls from Two Harbors were part of a Lake Park All-Star team last year and did very well in the district tournament. This year, Tiffani Johnson, Ayla Lemke, Kalei Kleive, Sara Fjeran, and Brianna McGrath were on a Lake Park team that won four of five games for second place in the tournament.

After extensive planning and with the help of local sponsors, the tournament was deemed a huge success despite the hot weather. Things got cooler when Dairy Queen offered a “Dip for Dip” for all the girls who jumped into Lake Superior. They were rewarded with a token for ice cream. Most of the 90 girls participated and it was a refreshing way to make the tournament memorable.

Several of the teams scheduled to participate in the tournament pulled out only days before the first Friday games. The tournament committee contacted several other teams and the field ended up larger than anticipated. Even though the girls were no longer competing for a state title, they ended up with a more competitive tournament with more games.

“I was extremely proud of these girls. This is only their second year playing competitive softball and these girls were up against some really experienced and well coached teams,” head coach Lemke said. “I think the community will enjoy watching these girls play softball in the years to come – they are very athletic, have a desire to play hard, and are very easy to coach.”

Tags: two harbors, community, sports, softball