ONALASKA — The second-place Onalaska High School softball team put together a strong performance Thursday to bounce back from a close loss to first-place Tomah on Tuesday.
The Hilltoppers (11-4, 8-2) used a four-run fifth inning to separate from visiting Central and record a 9-0 MVC victory at Jaycee Fields.
Freshman pitcher Sydney Kraus tripled and drove in two runs, and senior center fielder Jenna Gansen added two more RBIs as Onalaska completed a regular-season sweep of the RiverHawks (6-11, 3-5).
Catcher Lauren Pica and left fielder Alexa Larson both doubled for Onalaska, which used the four-run fifth to take a 7-0 advantage. Pica was two for 3 and drove in a run.
Kraus held Central to three hits — two singles and a double — and struck out 10 while walking four. Central’s Ellie Gillitzer was 2 for 3.
West Salem 5, Viroqua 1
VIROQUA — The first-place Panthers (13-4, 9-1) scored twice in the first inning and never trailed in a game that included the 500th career strikeout for junior pitcher Josie Brudos.
Brudos struck out eight, walked one and allowed five hits as West Salem won its sixth game in a row.
First baseman Makena Ihle was 2 for 3 and scored twice, and second baseman MacLaine Heilman went 2 for 4 and scored twice. They also had two of the Panthers’ four doubles — Brudos and catcher Megan Johnson had the others.
Left fielder Brooklyn Lee also drove in two runs for West Salem, which hosts G-E-T (12-4, 7-2) on Monday.
Arcadia 5, G-E-T 4 (10)
GALESVILLE — The Raiders (12-6, 9-2) beat the Red Hawks for a second time by scoring when junior Tessah Ely hit a two-out single to score Layna Wozney and complete a comeback after G-E-T took a 4-2 lead after a three-run fourth inning.
Ely was 2 for 5, and the winning RBI was her second of the game.
Senior Kaitlyn Bremer struck out 11 and retired the final three batters after walking the first batter she faced in the 10th.
Amaya Schlesser and Wozney also had an RBI each for the Raiders.
Holmen 9, Logan 6
HOLMEN — The Vikings (6-7, 6-3) completed a regular-season sweep of the Rangers (4-13, 1-7) and overcame allowing five runs in the top of the first inning in the process.
Holmen got back into the game and was within 6-4 before scoring five times in the bottom of the sixth at Viking Elementary.
Designated player Kaitlyn Weiss was 3 for 3 with a double and scored twice, while second baseman Makenzie Nunemacher as 2 for 4 with two stolen bases and two RBIs. Shortstop Macy Kline was 2 for 4 with three stolen bases.
Kline started the sixth-inning rally with an RBI single and later stole home. Nunemacher, who stole second on the same play Kline stole home, later stole home herself while Taylor Everson stole second.
The Vikings had nine stolen bases.
Logan had 10 hits and was led by second baseman Norah Keller’s 3-for-3 offensive performance. Kaia DePaolo was 2 for 3, Sophie Schmitz 2 for 4 and Maria Weber 2 for 5. Keller, DePaolo and Weber each drove in a run.
Tomah 5, Aquinas 0
LA CROSSE — The first-place Timberwolves (15-2, 9-0) crept closer to their fifth straight MVC title by shutting out the Blugolds (6-9,3-6) at Pammel Creek.
Aquinas received a double and single from Abby Ziolkowski and a single from Kathryn Savoldelli but got nothing more against Anna Wall, who struck out 18 of the 25 batters she faced.
Melrose-Mindoro 18, Independence/Gilmanton 4 (5)
MELROSE — The Mustangs (14-2, 9-1) maintained their one-game lead in the Dairyland-Large and scored 11 runs in the first inning and took advantage of three errors and 12 walked batters.
Shortstop Cooper Zeman was 2 for 3 with a double, a triple and one of Melrose-Mindoro’s seven stolen bases. Second baseman Bella Rozek was 1 for 1 with two walks while scoring four runs and stealing three bases.
Left fielder Lauralee Stanton singled and drove in three runs for the Mustangs.
Westby 15, Onalaska Luther 12
ONALASKA — The Knights (8-10, 3-7) scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth but couldn’t get any closer after trailing by as many as eight runs.
Third baseman Karlie Bauer was 3 for 4 and drove in two runs and shortstop Rylee Weber 3 for 5 with two scored for Luther.
Left fielder/pitcher Kayla Schultz doubled twice and drove in two runs, and first baseman Karly Miller was 2 for 4 with three RBIs for the Knights, who had 16 hits.
Amanda Yonkovich, Julia Sill and Keira Paus also had two hits each for the Knights. Sill, Yonkovich and Weber each stole a base.
Caledonia 21, Fillmore Central 1 (4)
HARMONY — The Warriors (13-2) scored 10 runs in the first inning and nine in the second on the way to an easy victory.
Pitcher Raiya Goetzinger hit a home run, and left fielder Brairy Proulx was 2 for 3 with four RBIs for Caledonia, which had 13 hits and also received two hits apiece from Paizley Lange, Lily Wiebke, Lily Augedahl.
