GALESVILLE — The West Salem High School softball team got off to a quick start, and that’s all it needed to put the finishing touch on an outright Coulee Conference championship on Thursday.
The Panthers scored four times in the top of the first inning, and that set the stage for a 7-2 victory over G-E-T that gave them an 11-1 conference record and championship over second-place Arcadia.
West Salem (15-4) won its first outright title since 2019 — it tied for last year’s championship — and turned two G-E-T errors into six unearned runs.
Three of the Panthers’ 11 hits went for extra bases, and senior third baseman Dylynn Bayer was 3 for 4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Right fielder Kylie Elsen was 2 for 3 with a triple and two RBIs, and catcher Megan Johnson went 2 for 4 and knocked in a run.
Madison Elsen and Josie Brudos doubled for West Salem, and Johnson and Brooklyn Lee each had a stolen base.
Brudos held the Red Hawks to three hits and allowed two earned runs on two singles, a home run and one walk. She struck out 12 in the complete game.
The Panthers play at Tomah on Friday. The Timberwolves won the MVC and received votes in Division 1 rankings by state coaches this week.
Onalaska 5, Holmen 1
ONALASKA — The Hilltoppers (15-4, 10-2) completed a runner-up MVC season by sweeping their rivals.
Onalaska scored three times in the bottom of the fourth inning at Jaycee Fields and held the Vikings (6-10, 6-5) scoreless until the sixth.
Freshman pitcher Sydney Kraus allowed three hits, walked one and struck out seven.
Senior center fielder Jenna Gansen was 2 for 4 with a double and one RBI for Onalaska, which scored its three runs in the fourth on four hits, two walks and one sacrifice fly.
Zoe Koonce O’Kane hit a run-scoring single, Alexa Larson a sacrifice fly and Zoe Lichty an RBI double for the Hilltoppers in the fourth.
Second baseman Kylie Gilhausen also had two hits for the Hilltoppers, while senior right fielder Imani Toso was 2 for 3 for Holmen. Taylor Everson drove in the Vikings’ run.
Central 8, Sparta 0
SPARTA — The RiverHawks (8-13, 4-6) beat the Spartans by scoring consistently and at least one in five of the seven innings.
Catcher Terry Shawley was 2 for 4 and drove in two runs, and Norah Holkup was 2 for 3 and drove in three.
Left fielder Abby Wurm tripled, and shortstop Ellie Gillitzer walked twice and stole three bases on her way to scoring twice for Central.
Caledonia 10, Rushford-Peterson 1
RUSHFORD — The Warriors (15-4) scored five runs in the top of the fifth inning to pull away for their second win in three games.
Freshman Avery Augedahl shut down the Trojans on two hits and finished with 15 strikeouts. She allowed one earned run and walked two batters.
Augedahl was also 3 for 5 with two stolen bases in a game that included 14 Caledonia hits.
Left fielder Lily Augedahl was also 3 for 4 and scored twice, and Ashlyn Reinhart and Elsa Blum each hit a double.
Third baseman Paizley Lange as 2 for 4 and recorded four of the Warriors’ 10 stolen bases.
Viroqua 5, Onalaska Luther 4
VIROQUA — The Knights (9-11, 4-8) allowed the winning run to score in the bottom of the sixth inning after battling back from deficits of 3-1 and 4-3.
Catcher Julia Sill was 3 for 4, and center fielder Kaitlyn VanLoon drove in two runs for Luther, which had seven hits.
The Knights tied the game at 4 when Rylee Weber led off the fifth with a single, and Amanda Yonkovich followed with an RBI double.
Blair-Taylor 14, Arcadia 6
ARCADIA — Kaitlyn Bremer was 2 for 3 with a triple, a stolen base and three RBIs for the Raiders (15-8), who made six errors and allowed 16 his.
The Wildcats scored in all but two innings and broke a 1-1 tie with six runs in the top of the third.
Center fielder Kylie Fitzpatrick was 3 for 3 with an RBI and a stolen base for Arcadia.
