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State tournament delayed by rain

By Brian Stensaas, Star Tribune, 06/07/12, 10:20AM CDT

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Start of 2012 state tournament pushed back to 11:30 a.m. due to rain and lightning


Grounds crew workers at Caswell Park prepare Field 4 for a second time Thursday after steady morning rains delayed the start of the state tournament. Brian Stensaas, Star Tribune

UPDATE: 10:55 a.m.

MSHSL state softball tournament director Lisa Lissimore has decided to alter the tournament schedule in Class 3A.

Because of graduation ceremonies, win or lose Bloomington Jefferson and Forest Lake will play their next game at 9 a.m. on Friday.

"It was not a tough decision," Lissimore said. "We do not want to make young people choose between softball and graduations. They should enjoy both experiences and they will."

Grounds crew members began to work on the soaked fields at Caswell Park around 10:45 a.m. with the hope to get first-round games started at 11:30 a.m.

The tournament was supposed to begin at 9 a.m., but steady rain and lightning forced the significant delay.

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UPDATE: 10:20 a.m.

NORTH MANKATO, Minn. -- The schedule for the state softball tournament has been severely altered due to weather, especially in Class 3A.

About an hour before the scheduled 9 a.m. start of the tournament Thursday, dark clouds and rain hovered over Caswell Park. A clap of thunder soon followed, forcing organizers to initially postpone the start by 30 minutes.

But the rain intensified, leaving all six fields under water and forcing the delay to 11:30 a.m. at the earliest.

It sent tournament director Lisa Lissimore scrambling to work out contingency plans with coaches and athletic directors from Class 3A schools Bloomington Jefferson, Forest Lake and Mankato East. All three of those schools have graduation ceremonies planned for Thursday evening. It is a possibility that second-round games involving those schools will be pushed back to Friday morning, but rain is again a possibility.

The Minnesota State High School League does have Caswell Park reserved for Saturday, in a worst-case scenario.

Check back to the Star Tribune's softball hub for further updates.

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UPDATE: 9:40 a.m.

Rain has lightened up in North Mankato, but all four fields have standing water on them and radar indicates more rain is on the way.

Start time for first state quarterfinals pushed back to 11:30 a.m.

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Officials have delayed the start of the 2012 state tournament by 30 minutes due to rain and thunder in the North Mankato area.

The state quarterfinals are now scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. at Caswell Park. 

More updates coming soon.


Rain creates puddles Thursday on Field 1 at Caswell Park in North Mankato. Brian Stensaas, Star Tribune

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