By Times staff
BRODHEAD - The Brodhead softball team rode its pitching staff and bats to an 11-1 win over Evansville in the first round of the WIAA Division 2 playoffs Thursday.
Erika Stampfli pitched two innings, allowing just a single hit while striking out the side in both the first and second innings. Courtney Mielke took over in the third and finished the game with three strikeouts, a walk, and surrendered the Blue Devils' only run in the fifth.
Brodhead scored seven runs in the home half of the first. The Cardinals then plated two more in the second, one in the third, and ended the game by scoring their final run in the fifth.
Jorden Riese was 3-for-4 with an RBI for Brodhead. Tia Collins was 2-for-4 with three runs, Mielke had a hit, three RBI and two runs, while Stampfli had two RBI, a hit and a run.
WIAA Division 4 Regional
Argyle 8, Pecatonica 5
BLANCHARDVILLE - Argyle sophomore Kelsey Bartels carried the Orioles to a win over Pecatonica on Thursday.
Bartels went 4-for-5 and pitched a complete game with nine strikeouts to lead the Orioles. She gave up just three earned runs and walked one. Argyle plays No. 1 seed Juda on Tuesday.
It is the third time Argyle has beat Pecatonica this year.
"I guess they (Argyle) had our number this year," Pecatonica coach Chuck Meyer said. "We are improving. That's what we want to do. It's always tough to end the year."
Despite committing seven errors, Argyle pounded out 13 hits and was able to overcome its fielding miscues.
Bartles started the third off with a single and scored on an error. Jodi Fischer followed with a double and Sierra Granberg delivered an RBI single.
Pecatonica rallied to slice the Orioles' lead to 4-3 with a three-run third highlighted by junior Kaci Cassidy's two-run inside-the-park home run down the right-field line. Cassidy went 2-4 and Allison Swenson was 2-3 for the Vikings.
Argyle's Danielle Truethardt and Taylor Hauser each went 2-4 at the plate and Cuevas was 2-5.
The Orioles scored three runs in the seventh. However, the Vikings came back due to three Orioles' errors and had the game-tying run at the plate when Abby Smith-Krause lined out to Truethardt at first.
Barneveld 14, Albany 0
BARNEVELD - The postseason ended earlier than the Comets wanted after a game that Albany coach Connie Wunschel called ugly Thursday.
"We weren't ready to play. And that's frustrating given all that we went through this year," she said after the game.
Barneveld scored three runs in the first inning and seven in the second. The Eagles tacked on a pair of runs in both the third and fourth innings to secure the win.
Katie Krupke had Albany's lone hit. Krupke, a freshman, also took the loss on the mound, striking out three, walking one, and allowing seven earned runs. Barneveld took advantage of eight Comet errors.
"We were in so many games this season. To think we had hardly any softball experience and stay toe-to-toe with Juda - and then we just forget what we're supposed to do in the field," Wunschel said.
The Comets didn't strike out much at the plate, but didn't go into many long at-bats. Albany saw just four pitches in the third inning, six in the fourth and 12 in the fifth.
WIAA Division 3 Regional
Lancaster 11, Darlington 0
LANCASTER - The Redbirds' season was over quickly after getting one-hit in the first round of the playoffs.
Allison Taylor was roughed up for five runs in the first inning to the No. 1 seed Arrows. Lancaster scored two more runs in the second, another in the third, and then three runs in the bottom of the fifth on a home run to end the game.
Clinton 10,
New Glarus 4
CLINTON - The Knights put up their best fight of the season before falling to Clinton.
Maegan Roselien struck out seven hitters for the Knights. Kelsey Schmidt hit a double and Heather Mattman had a pair of hits. New Glarus had four hits and three errors in the game.
The Knights scored two runs in each of the third and fourth innings.
BRODHEAD - The Brodhead softball team rode its pitching staff and bats to an 11-1 win over Evansville in the first round of the WIAA Division 2 playoffs Thursday.
Erika Stampfli pitched two innings, allowing just a single hit while striking out the side in both the first and second innings. Courtney Mielke took over in the third and finished the game with three strikeouts, a walk, and surrendered the Blue Devils' only run in the fifth.
Brodhead scored seven runs in the home half of the first. The Cardinals then plated two more in the second, one in the third, and ended the game by scoring their final run in the fifth.
Jorden Riese was 3-for-4 with an RBI for Brodhead. Tia Collins was 2-for-4 with three runs, Mielke had a hit, three RBI and two runs, while Stampfli had two RBI, a hit and a run.
WIAA Division 4 Regional
Argyle 8, Pecatonica 5
BLANCHARDVILLE - Argyle sophomore Kelsey Bartels carried the Orioles to a win over Pecatonica on Thursday.
Bartels went 4-for-5 and pitched a complete game with nine strikeouts to lead the Orioles. She gave up just three earned runs and walked one. Argyle plays No. 1 seed Juda on Tuesday.
It is the third time Argyle has beat Pecatonica this year.
"I guess they (Argyle) had our number this year," Pecatonica coach Chuck Meyer said. "We are improving. That's what we want to do. It's always tough to end the year."
Despite committing seven errors, Argyle pounded out 13 hits and was able to overcome its fielding miscues.
Bartles started the third off with a single and scored on an error. Jodi Fischer followed with a double and Sierra Granberg delivered an RBI single.
Pecatonica rallied to slice the Orioles' lead to 4-3 with a three-run third highlighted by junior Kaci Cassidy's two-run inside-the-park home run down the right-field line. Cassidy went 2-4 and Allison Swenson was 2-3 for the Vikings.
Argyle's Danielle Truethardt and Taylor Hauser each went 2-4 at the plate and Cuevas was 2-5.
The Orioles scored three runs in the seventh. However, the Vikings came back due to three Orioles' errors and had the game-tying run at the plate when Abby Smith-Krause lined out to Truethardt at first.
Barneveld 14, Albany 0
BARNEVELD - The postseason ended earlier than the Comets wanted after a game that Albany coach Connie Wunschel called ugly Thursday.
"We weren't ready to play. And that's frustrating given all that we went through this year," she said after the game.
Barneveld scored three runs in the first inning and seven in the second. The Eagles tacked on a pair of runs in both the third and fourth innings to secure the win.
Katie Krupke had Albany's lone hit. Krupke, a freshman, also took the loss on the mound, striking out three, walking one, and allowing seven earned runs. Barneveld took advantage of eight Comet errors.
"We were in so many games this season. To think we had hardly any softball experience and stay toe-to-toe with Juda - and then we just forget what we're supposed to do in the field," Wunschel said.
The Comets didn't strike out much at the plate, but didn't go into many long at-bats. Albany saw just four pitches in the third inning, six in the fourth and 12 in the fifth.
WIAA Division 3 Regional
Lancaster 11, Darlington 0
LANCASTER - The Redbirds' season was over quickly after getting one-hit in the first round of the playoffs.
Allison Taylor was roughed up for five runs in the first inning to the No. 1 seed Arrows. Lancaster scored two more runs in the second, another in the third, and then three runs in the bottom of the fifth on a home run to end the game.
Clinton 10,
New Glarus 4
CLINTON - The Knights put up their best fight of the season before falling to Clinton.
Maegan Roselien struck out seven hitters for the Knights. Kelsey Schmidt hit a double and Heather Mattman had a pair of hits. New Glarus had four hits and three errors in the game.
The Knights scored two runs in each of the third and fourth innings.
