WEST SALEM — The West Salem High School softball team won its third straight WIAA Division 2 regional championship on Thursday and will see a familiar face awaiting when it travels for a sectional semifinal on Tuesday.
The second-seeded Panthers (19-4) came up big in a 6-1 victory over visiting and third-seeded Madison Edgewood (16-7) to win the regional and advance to face top-seeded Mount Horeb (22-5) in the sectional semifinals.
West Salem has played the Vikings in the sectional semifinals in each of the past two seasons. The Panthers won a crazy 15-14 10-inning game in 2023, and Mount Horeb returned the favor with a 4-3 victory last year.
The Coulee Conference champions won their 12th game in a row and broke away by scoring four runs in the bottom of the third inning.
Junior Josie Brudos allowed Edgewood just three hits — all singles — and set them down on strikes nine times to go with one walk.
West Salem had 12 hits, and four of them went for extra bases.
Brudos was 3 for 4 with a double and scored twice, and senior catcher Megan Johnson was 2 for 4 with a triple and three RBIs. Left fielder Brooklyn Lee was 2 for 3 with an RBI, Madison Elsen doubled, and Makena Ihle tripled.
The four-run third was set up by a single from MacLaine Heilman, sacrifice bunt by Makinlee Marshall and a single to left by Brudos to put runners at first and second for Johnson. She responded with a triple to right field and scored when an error extended the play.
Ihle followed that with a triple and scored on an Elsen bunt that resulted in an error for a 5-0 lead.
Johnson also drove in a run in the first inning, and Lee plated Dylynn Bayer on a single to right in the fifth.
DIVISION 4
Melrose-Mindoro 8, Onalaska Luther 0
MELROSE — The top-seeded Mustangs (20-3) won a regional championship with their fifth straight win and second straight shutout.
Opponents have scored just two runs in their last five games against Melrose-Mindoro, which hosts third-seeded Augusta (16-9) on Tuesday. The Mustangs and Beavers split two regular-season games.
The fifth-seeded Knights (10-13) were able to get just two hits against senior Emma Severson, who allowed one single, one double and struck out four without walking a batter. Luther had its single in the second inning and the double in the fourth. First baseman Karly Miller had the double.
Melrose-Mindoro only had five hits, but they drew eight walks, and the Knights made three errors.
Second baseman Bella Rozek doubled, drove in two runs and scored twice, and Severson doubled and drove in two for the Mustangs. Miranda Banse also drove in a run for Melrose-Mindoro, which has outscored its past five opponents 47-2.
The Mustangs beat Augusta 13-2 on April 15, but Augusta won the return matchup 5-2 on May 12.
DIVISION 1
Middleton 7, Holmen 1
MIDDLETON — The eighth-seeded Vikings (8-14) allowed two runs in the first inning and two more in the second before getting on the board in the third against the top-seeded Cardinals.
Holmen scored its run when Josie Happel was hit by a pitch to lead off the third and went to second base on a Gabi Stuhr single. She went to third on a bunt and scored when Makenzie Nunemacher grounded out to the right side for the second out of the inning.
Taylor Everson doubled to lead off the fourth, and Imani Toso reached on a dropped third strike in the seventh.
The Vikings struck out 12 times and weren’t able to work Middleton pitcher Megan Button for a walk. Center fielder McKenna McHugh also singled for the Vikings.
Verona 4, Onalaska 2
VERONA — The fifth-seeded Hilltoppers (18-6) gave up two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to have their season ended by the fourth-seeded Wildcats (18-5).
Onalaska only had to hits but took a 2-0 lead with two runs in the top of the second inning. The Hilltoppers took their lead when Jenna Gansen led off the second with a single and scored on a Lauren Pica triple. Pica then scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Alexa Larson.
Verona tied the game in the bottom of the third before taking the lead on a two-out, two-run double to score two batters that reached via walks.
Freshman Sydney Kraus allowed five hits and walked four in a complete game. She struck out three, and all four runs against her were earned.
Tomah 8, Central 1
TOMAH — The second-seeded Timberwolves beat the 10th-seeded RiverHawks (10-15) for the third time and didn’t allow a run until the seventh inning.
Tomah had a 7-0 lead by the end of the fifth inning, and three of its runs were unearned. Central made four errors and had trouble sticking with the Timberwolves through the mistakes.
Shortstop Ellie Gillitzer led off the Central seventh with a bunt single and went to second on a groundout. Terry Shawley then brought Gillitzer home on an infield single after the second out was recorded.
Carmen Peterson struck out six in pitching a complete game for the RiverHawks, but two of the seven hits she allowed went for home runs.
