Photo by Jake Olson: Martin County West's Lillie Schultz celebrates her hit in the first game of Thursday's Section 2A Softball Tournament Championship against United South Central at Caswell Park.

NORTH MANKATO – United South Central will get the chance to defend its Class A State Tournament title this spring season.

The Rebels used a two-run home run in the eighth from Alivia Bruegger to power a 3-1 victory in game one of the Section 2A Softball Tournament. USC kept its late-game offense rolling in the win-or-take-all game two, scoring three runs in each of the fifth and seventh innings to take home the section championship, 7-1. Martin County West finished the 2026 season with a 24-3 record.

Game one

MCW’s Maddie Carlson and USC’s Mariah Anderson put on a pitching clinic to start the afternoon at Caswell Park. Both pitchers allowed just one run each at the end of the seventh inning, combining for 15 strikeouts and 11 hits.

The Rebels drew first blood after Anderson was brought home on Grace Walton’s two-out double in the top of the first frame. Lillie Schultz helped the Mavericks respond with an RBI double of her own in the home half of the fifth to knot things at one.

Anderson wiggled out of a mini jam in the seventh inning to force the game into extras, causing a Carlson grounder to the right side of the infield for the third and final out. But Bruegger was the hero for the Rebels in this one.

With two outs on the board, the first baseman sent the ball over the left field wall to erupt the USC faithful in the stands. After two more strikeouts from Anderson in the circle, the Rebels were able to extend their season by one more game.

Game two

This time, it was the Mavericks who scored initially in the bottom of the first. Rowan Faber’s lead-off walk was the energy boost MCW needed to plate the opening run, and Ida Rohman chopped a grounder up the middle that gave the freshman enough time to touch home plate.

Carlson, who got the start in the second game, was automatic through the first three innings, piling up a pair of one-two-three innings to stay efficient. But the Rebels bats awoke their second time through the lineup in the fourth.

Brielle Obemeyer converted with a runner on second after knocking a double that found the center field grass. While Olivia Bird put up the third out of the frame, the USC scoring was just getting started.

The very next inning was started by a bloop single from nine-hole hitter Hannah Niebuhr. Anderson reached on the next at-bat to cause Maverick head coach Darrell Ziegler to throw in Sydney Clow for relief.

Bruegger and Izzy Bird strung together RBI hits to retake the lead for USC 4-1. Izzy Bird and Olivia Bird drove in a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh to push the Rebels up six. Anderson finished her second consecutive complete game with a strikeout against Addy Wohlhuter, sending her team back to the state tournament for a chance to repeat.