Six teams earned their berth in the championship finals of the 39th Annual State Softball Tournament at Goodman Diamond in Madison Friday.
Defending champion Westosha Central attempts to win its second consecutive Division 1 championship following a 4-1 win over Hortonville in their semifinal. Taylor Bergles of Westosha Central broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning with a home run and Langston Larkin added a two-run blast two batters latter to power the Falcons.
There were plenty of superlatives to go around in Kimberly’s five-inning, 15-0 triumph over Germantown. Megan Heist tossed a no-hitter and Jenna Smarzinski went 4-for-4 with a home run, a pair of triples, three runs scored and three RBI. Her two triples came in a seven-run first inning. The two triples ties a State Tournament game record. Kleist also contributed at the plate with a pair of hits and three RBI.
Laconia pounded out 15 hits in its five-inning, 12-0 blanking of Mishicot in the first Division 3 semifinal. Adrianna Wegner went 4-for-4 to lead the offensive barrage. Kayla Schwebke fanned 11 hitters and surrendered just three walks in tossing the shutout. She also contributed a pair of hits and two RBI at the plate.
Arcadia remained unbeaten at 29-0 with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Grantsburg in its Division 3 semifinal. The classic pitching duo featured just five hits in the game and 22 strikeouts. The Raiders scored the game’s only run in the bottom of the seventh. The lead-off hitter in the inning reached base on an error and eventually scored on perfectly executed suicide squeeze with one out by Alli Petz. Taylor Haines struck out 13 batters in the three-hit shutout.
Oakfield will play for its fifth State championship after defeating Assumption 6-4 in the Divisiion 4 semifinal. Paige Petersen double in a pair of runs in a three-run sixth inning to erase a 4-3 deficit to propel the Oaks into the final.
Cochrane-Fountain City downed Ithaca 4-1 in its semifinal to advance to the final to play the Oaks. The Pirates plated three runs in the third inning on three consecutive run-scoring hits with two outs. The Division 4 final is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday.
THURSDAY RECAP
Four Division 1 teams advanced to Friday’s semifinals and a pair of Division 2 teams moved on to the championship final Saturday following the first day of the State Softball Tournament at Goodman Diamond in Madison.
Defending Division 1 champion Westosha Central advances to Friday evening’s semifinals with an 8-4 win over Racine Case. Tayler Bergles had three hits, including a pair of triples to tie a Division 1 State Tournament game record, and three RBI to fuel the Falcons’ attack. The Falcons will play Hortonville, which won its quarterfinal match-up with Verona 5-1. Katie Uhlenbrauck hit a two-out, two-run single to cap a three-run third inning for the Polar Bears.
Kimberly eliminated Stevens Point with a 6-4 win. Alyssa Sikora knocked in a pair of runs with a single in a three-run sixth inning for the Papermakers that erased a 3-2 deficit. The Papermakers will play Germantown, which was victorious in its quarterfinal over Menomonee Falls, 5-2. Katey Schultz powered the Warhawks, going 3-for-4 and lacking just a double for the cycle. She drove in three runs with a three-run homer and scored twice.
Defending Division 2 champion New London will play for its second straight championship Saturday afternoon after the Bulldogs edged New Berlin Eisenhower 4-3 in their semifinal. After the Lions tied the game with two runs in the top of the seventh on a two-run blast by Stephanie Lombardo, but New London plated the winning run in the bottom half of the inning with a run-scoring single by Peyton Mix.
The Bulldogs will play Mosinee, which blanked McFarland 6-0. Rochelle Koshalek tossed a shutout for the Indians on five hits. Bailey Schultz and Kelsey Ludwig both collected three hits and drove in two to pace the Indians.
Action resumes with the Division 4 semifinals in the Friday morning session beginning at 9 a.m.. The first game of the Division 3 semifinals is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. The Division 1 semifinal session is schedule to begin wth the first game at 6 p.m.