BRODHEAD — Down to the last out of the inning with runners on first and third and an eight-run lead, Mckenna Young knew she just needed to relax and stick to her routine. With that mindset, the senior lined a two-RBI double to left, walking off Edgerton 10-0 on Thursday, May 11. The win secured an outright Rock Valley Conference championship for Brodhead — the first in 12 years.
“We had a long spout of us not winning it — I think it was 12 years,” Young said. “It’s great to bring it home to the program and the town. We’ve been working really hard, so I think all of us deserved it. It’s an awesome feeling to share it with some of my closest friends.”
After shaking hands with Edgerton, the seniors — who were honored before the games — grabbed the Gatorade jug and poured it on head coach Steve Krupke. The team then broke out conference champion shirts and took pictures in center field.
When the initial excitement subsided, Young shared a hug with her dad. It wasn’t until that moment she realized she had thrown a perfect game.
“I was more worried about the championship,” Young said. “That’s been one of our biggest goals to start the year. I didn’t care about it [the perfect game], until I put these [conference champion] shirts on. My dad gave me a hug and asked if I knew what that was. I said, ‘A no-hitter?’”
Young struck out 13 of 15 batters faced. Senior first baseman Alexis Kammerer took care of the other two batters. Talim Kjendlie elevated a bunt, and Jillian Scharlau grounded out.
The Cardinals jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, thanks to a three-run home run from senior Taetum Hoesly. Ava Risum led off the inning with a single to the left side, followed by a single by Sophia Leitzen. Young droved in the first run of the game with an RBI single to left. On the second pitch of her at-bat, Hoesly elevated the ball over the left-field fence.
“At the plate my biggest thing is getting up there and, hopefully my teammates are on before me, so I can get them in,” Hoesly said. “I just relax, do my job and clean everything up.”
Kammerer kept the inning moving with a single, but the next three batters went down in order.
“For them to come out and put four up in the first inning means they were ready when the game started,” Krupke said. “It was just nice to send a message right away. It alleviates some stress for me because I was stressed today. I wanted it so bad for the kids.”
Brodhead picked back up in the second with three more runs. Tatum Ceslock led off with a single to center, and Risum doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Leitzen drove in senior pinch runner Macayla Lang and Risum with an RBI single to center. After a fly out and hit by pitch, Kammerer extended the Cardinals’ lead to 7-0 with a single to center. Edgerton escaped the jam with a double play, as Jerrica Schwartz hit a line drive to shortstop and pinch runner Kyla Miller was doubled up at third.
Allie Dahl led off the bottom of the third with a single to left, and Ceslock reached on an error. Risum then delivered an RBI single to center. The next three batters went down in order, but not before another home run threat from Hoesly. She fouled off two pitches, one of which was a foul home run, before flying out to right.
“I’ll remember the whole game but especially that foul ball I hit,” Hoesly laughed. “Somehow, I got robbed.”
The Cardinals went three-up three-down in the fourth before Young’s two-RBI double in the fifth. Dahl led off the inning again with a five-pitch walk. Risum reached on an error, and Young brought them home.
All but three batters recorded a hit in the game. At leadoff, Risum went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, while Young and Hoesly drove in three runs each.
Brodhead received a bye in the first round of playoffs, but rescheduled their game against Juda-Albany from Tuesday, March 21 for Thursday, May 18. The Panthers, ranked No. 5 in Division 5, also received a bye in the playoffs. The game will prepare both teams for the grind of the post-season.
“I’m glad we can have some recognition for these kids because the last couple of years we’ve been knocking on the door. To finally get that door open is nice,” Krupke said. “I just like to see it for the kids. I’ve done this for a long time, and this is the hardest working group I’ve had — which is no disrespect to the teams I’ve had before. I’d like to see them get some hardware for it.”
