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Longtime Southwest Minnesota State baseball coach Paul Blanchard to retire

Paul Blanchard is finishing up his 27th season as coach of the Mustangs.

By Star Tribune staff

February 19, 2023 at 11:21PM

Southwest Minnesota State baseball coach Paul Blanchard announced Sunday he will retire at the end of the season, his 27th.

Blanchard, who played football and baseball for the Gophers, started his coaching career at Minnetonka High School. After two seasons, he coached at Normandale Community College for one season, He then was an assistant coach for the Gophers for three seasons before returning to Normandale for three seasons. He was named the Mustangs coach in 1996.

Blanchard, a Minnetonka native, is the son of John Blanchard, who played eight years in the major leagues.

JOEL RIPPEL

Whitecaps swept

Jenna Suokko's second-period goal and Samantha Ridgewell's 31 saves led the Buffalo Beauts to a 1-0 victory over the Minnesota Whitecaps in a Premier Hockey Federation game at Richfield Ice Arena.

The Whitecaps outshot the Beauts 31-25 — including 11-5 in the third period.

The Beauts defeated the Whitecaps 4-2 on Saturday to end the Whitecaps' six-game winning streak.

The Whitecaps play host to the Toronto Six next weekend.

Etc.

Qualifying eight athletes to the national championships with two regional champions, the Augsburg women's wrestling team finished second with 141½ points at the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships Region IV Regional in Naperville, Ill. Top-ranked North Central (Ill.) won with 174 points. The national championships are March 3-4 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Jess Oakland hit a tying RBI double with two out in the seventh inning, Delanie Cox singled in the go-ahead run with two out in the eighth and the Gophers softball team came from behind to beat Virginia 2-1 in Chapel Hill, N.C. Oakland's seventh-inning double for the Gophers (5-4) drove in Cox, who led off the seventh with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Autumn Pease struck out six in 2⅔ innings of hitless relief.
Jake Larson hit a two-run homer but the Gophers baseball team fell to 0-3 by losing to No. 14 California Santa Barbara 13-2 in Surprise, Ariz.
The Gophers gymnastics team beat host Maryland 196.800-196.650. Gianna Gerdes and Mya Hooten both scored 9.950 on the floor exercise.
The Gophers tennis team lost at Nebraska 4-0 in its Big Ten opener.