JAMESTOWN — Central Cass defeated Kindred/Richland 10-2 to win the 2026 Class B State Softball Championship in Jamestown. The Squirrels claimed their eighth title since the program began in 2012 and completed their third instance of back-to-back championships, having also done so in 2018–2019 and 2021–2022.

Central Cass scored nine runs on five hits in the bottom of the fourth inning, turning a narrow lead into a commanding advantage. "I was feeling a lot better after that," Central Cass head coach Scott Kost said. "That was a big inning. We ran the bases well, we had some timely hitting and that really set the tone for the rest of the game." Senior Aspyn Prien hit her second home run of the tournament during that decisive frame.

Whitney Mitchell pitched a complete game for Central Cass, allowing nine hits, two earned runs, two walks, and recording six strikeouts. Kindred/Richland had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a double by Lauren Schlieman that scored Ellie Taszarek, but the Squirrels responded steadily before breaking the game open in the fourth.

Kindred/Richland, unranked entering the tournament, had upset third-seeded Des Lacs-Burlington and second-seeded Velva/Drake-Anamoose in the opening rounds. "They are a good team and they are well-coached and do a lot of things right so this was a great accomplishment," Kost said.

Central Cass had advanced to the final by defeating Pembina County North 13-3 in the quarterfinals and rallying past Beulah 12-11 in the semifinals after trailing 11-4. Kost noted the team’s focus on execution, saying earlier that day they had reviewed their game plan from the Region championship victory over Kindred/Richland. "(Earlier today) we talked about how we beat Kindred in the Region championship game and what our game plan needed to be and what we needed to do and the kids just did a really good job of going out and executing it," he said. "They didn't take anything for granted — they came out and worked hard and did what they needed to do."

Central Cass has been back-to-back Class B state champions three times: in 2018–2019, 2021–2022, and 2025–2026.