“I got involved with the team because my daughter was playing. Other members of the team include Claudia Ek, Heather Groth and Jeanne Tostenson.Ĭharlie Reasner had never coached a girl’s softball team before this season. “I had been involved in Little League baseball for several years but this was my first experience with girls,” he said. Reasner didn’t let that get in his way though as he led the Mankato Pepper Shakers to the Minnesota ASA Class B Junior Girl’s fast-pitch state championship July 23-24 in Winona. “We were the favorites going into the tournament,” Reasner said. Once we did that, we played excellent softball throughout the tournament.” “The girls just had to figure out that they could win. Paul Cunningham 11-4 in their first game as Tonya Bennett fired a one-hitter and struck out seven. Julie Hawkins had a bases-loaded triple in the fifth to help the Mankato team score eight runs in the inning. It wasn’t so easily in the next game as the Shakers nudged Bloomington 10-9. Hawkins drove in the winning run in the fifth inning on a squeeze bunt. Janet Gaskins had three hits in an easy 17-6 win over Richfield, then Sara Stow and Gaskins each had two hits in an 11-2 win over Orono for the championship. If we stay together, we should be very tough again next year.” “We were basically a first year team,” Reasner said. Peter Blue Rockers won the consolation title in the 20 team tournament with a 12-11 victory over Blaine Blue. The Shakers finished with a record of 29-10-1 for the season. Hawkins, Gaskins and Anna Daggett were the team’s leading hitters while Bennett did most of the pitching. “Physcially we were very strong and once we overcame some mental things, there was no stopping us.” “We saved our best softball for the state tournament,” Reasner said. The close second game victory was a big one for the Shakers.

“We had trouble in the second game of a lot of tournaments,” Reasner said. “That was our biggest fear coming into the state.

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