Jamestown softball edges Minot North, stays alive in postseason hunt
Maddi Hoff's seven-strikeout complete game kept Jamestown alive, and the Blue Jays moved on to a state-qualifier against Bismarck Legacy.
Jamestown’s postseason run stayed alive by one run, with Maddi Hoff pitching the Blue Jays past Minot North 4-3 in a WDA tournament loser-out game Friday, May 22, at Williston State College’s Leininger Field in Williston.
The No. 6 seed outlasted No. 7 Minot North in Game 6 of the bracket and turned a do-or-die matchup into one more chance to reach the North Dakota Division A state tournament. Jamestown entered at 19-13 after being held to four hits in a quarterfinal loss to Bismarck the day before, and the win sent Minot North home for the season.
Hoff handled the pressure from the circle. The Jamestown ace threw a complete game, struck out seven, and worked 7.0 innings on 76 pitches. According to the West Dakota Association box score, she allowed seven hits, three runs, two earned runs and two walks while earning the win.
The Blue Jays also had to finish the game under stress. Jamestown took a two-run lead into the seventh inning and recorded the first two outs on just three pitches before Minot North made the final frame uncomfortable. That late push did not break Jamestown, which found enough outs to preserve the 4-3 result and keep its season moving.
The victory carried immediate consequences for Stutsman County softball followers and the broader Jamestown community. It gave the Blue Jays another day in the postseason and pushed them into a state-qualifier game against Bismarck Legacy on Saturday, May 23, with a trip to Minot’s South Hill Complex at stake. Only the top four finishers from the WDA and EDC tournaments advance to the May 28-30 state tournament, so every inning from here carries elimination weight.
Hoff’s outing fit a spring in which she has repeatedly set the tone for Jamestown. Earlier in the season, she threw a no-hitter against Minot and struck out 10 in a 20-0 WDA-opening win, a performance that now looks like an early marker for how often the Blue Jays have leaned on her in the biggest moments.
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