Editor's note: Extended coverage of the state tournament, plus extra photos, will be published in the Wednesday, July 7 edition of the Monroe Times.
GREEN BAY – Juda-Albany reached the WIAA Division 4 state championship game by defeating previously unbeaten and top-ranked Blair-Taylor this morning, June 29, at UW-Green Bay.
“I’m very excited. It’s just amazing,” center fielder Anna Skoumal said.
In the championship, the Panthers will play Mishicot, which defeated Phillips 2-1. The game is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. today. Juda-Albany is playing in its third state tournament in program history. The Panthers won in 2017.
“We know what these games are like,” Juda-Albany coach Bill Davis said about his young roster. “Every game in the playoffs has been like this for us. The key is you just have to answer back when they score some runs, and that’s what we did today.”
Defeating the Wildcats was no easy task. Blair-Taylor has reached the state tournament each year dating back to 2017, and the Wildcats knew how to stay in a tight game.
“We had a few jitters the first couple of innings, but we answered it pretty well. When the bats woke up, we were pretty good,” said Juda-Albany coach Bill Davis.
The Panthers collectively strung together timely hits and big plays from up and down the lineup.
“One we started getting them rolling we were relaxed a little. We could just hit, and we were hitting the gaps, which was really important,” Skoumal said.
A 4-run fourth inning got the offense started, with Brianna Dahl and Gracie Freitag bookending doubles around singles by Myah Johnson and Avary Briggs. Jackie Nusbaum pinch hit for her sister, Katie, driving in another run.
“It’s knowing your role. Jackie is a good hitter for us – she doesn’t run the bases well, but she’s a good hitter for us and she came in and hit, did what she had to do,” Davis said. “Libby (Jordan) out in right made a great catch. Here’s a girl that’s out there not batting, but she knows her role is to play great defense – and she does that for us.”
Blair-Taylor gained back two runs in the bottom half of the inning to make it 4-2. In the top of the fifth, Johnson singled to right with two outs, then Briggs doubled down the left field line to drive in another run. In the sixth, Skoumal hit a hard grounder down the left field line as well. A poor pursuit angle by the left fielder allowed the speedy Juda junior to round the bases for an inside-the-park home run to make it 6-2.
“When I first hit it, I didn’t know it went into the outfield, so when I got to first they were just saying to ‘round it, round it’. Then Bill at third base was also saying to round it,” Skoumal said.
Blair-Taylor did not go down without a fight. The Wildcats scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, and Alana Durtschi relieved Briggs at pitcher to get out of a bases-loaded jam.
In the seventh, Durtschi singled to right and then with one out Briggs hit a shot into the gap in left center to score another insurance run.
“She’s been clutch for us all year,” Davis said of Briggs. “To tell you the truth, when we’ve been struggling this year, it was a couple of those freshmen not hitting – and to have them back hitting again is kind of leading us to this success that we’re having.”
The Wildcats added another run in the bottom of the seventh, but a big grab by Jordan in foul territory in right put a second out on the board. Alvia Boe then popped out Freitag for the game’s final putout, sending Juda-Albany players and fans into a frenzy.
“Libby’s catch was the best thing – I was so relieved when she caught that. That was a big play,” Skoumal said. “It was a nail-biter the last couple of innings. They kept getting on base, and I was a little nervous. But everyone did their jobs and worked really hard.”
Briggs finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate with 2 RBIs and a run. She also allowed five runs (three earned) in 6.2 innings on the mound. Johnson had a pair of hits and a pair of runs.
