A Minnesota high school girls’ softball team lead by a trans-identified male pitcher has won the state championships. The Champlin Park Rebels won the finals against Bloomington Jefferson in the Class AAAA championship game held at the University of Minnesota’s Jane Sage Stadium on Friday.
Per Fox News, trans-identified male junior pitcher Marissa Rothenberger led the team to victory, pitching all 21 innings across three championship games, giving up just two runs. The Rebels received three straight wins.
In the game against Bloomington Jefferson, Rothenberger allowed just three hits and struck out six players to secure the title for the Rebels. Rothenberger has been named to the All-Tournament team.
In the quarterfinals game against Eagan, Rothenberger allowed seven hits and struck out four, leading the team to a 5-0 win. The Rebels defeated White Bear Lake 3-2 in the semifinals, with Rothenberger giving up two runs and striking out three. During that game, Rothenberger hit two doubles, including one that led to the team’s winning run in the seventh inning.
Ava Abrahamson, Champlin Park’s other pitcher, was listed as a designated player in the tournament but never pitched.
The state championships drew a small group of protestors on Friday, with some holding signs that read "females deserve fair sports" and "Democrats for Title IX."
In the state, students are allowed to compete in sports based on gender identity, in violation of an executive order signed by Trump in February barring biological males from women’s sports. Schools that allow such athletes into female sports risk losing their federal funding.
Women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines wrote in response to the team’s win, "Another state championship hijacked by a team with a boy. 'Marissa' Rothenberger pitched 7 shutout innings to lead Champlin Park to a 6-0 win in the Minnesota Girls’ State Softball Championship. You're a shameful coward Governor Tim Walz."
XX-XY Athetics wrote, "When boys play girls’ softball, they win. And girls lose."
