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GAME OF THE WEEK: WIAA Softball
D4 Sectional final: Southwestern vs. De Soto
SW sb team
Southwestern won its first regional softball title with a 30 win over 8th-ranked Belmont last Friday, then beat #2-ranked Juda/Albany 42 on Wednesday. Today the Wildcats will play 10th-ranked De Soto in the WIAA Divison 4 Belmont sectional final with a berth in the D4 state tournament on the line.

GAME OF THE WEEK (June 2–9)

WIAA DIVISION 4 SOFTBALL SECTIONAL FINAL: 

Southwestern (23–3) vs. De Soto (20–3), Thursday, June 2 at Belmont, 5 p.m. 

     The Southwestern softball team earned its first regional title with a 3–0 shutout victory over eighth-ranked Belmont (20–8) last Friday afternoon.

     Today the sixth-ranked Wildcats (23–3) will play for their first-ever state tournament appearance when they face 10th-ranked De Soto (20–3) in the WIAA Division 4 Belmont sectional final, this week’s McDonald’s swnews4u.com Game of the Week.

     Senior Madison Kuhl scattered six hits and a walk in last week’s regional final win over Belmont. Wednesday afternoon Kuhl and the gang upset second-ranked Juda/Albany 4–2 to advance to today’s sectional final.

     “They’ve worked at it really, really hard this whole entire year. They got an opportunity to do something special, something that has never been done in the school’s history and we did it,” said Southwestern head coach John Costello following last week’s regional championship win over Belmont. 

     Kuhl worked out jams in the first, second and third innings to keep the score deadlocked at 0–0. Southwestern finally broke the tie in the top of the fourth with a two-out, two-run rally. Allison Kruser started it with a bloop single and scored on Rachael Myers’ triple down the right field line. Rachel Mueller followed with a clutch two-out single to make it 2–0.

     “I was very proud of my team,” said Costello. “They made the plays when they had to make some plays. Belmont beat us earlier in the season, and our girls were focused (Friday).”

     Wednesday afternoon, the Wildcats drove in three first-inning runs on four hits to take the early lead against Juda/Albany. Myers drove in a run with an RBI double and Kruser and Mueller each added RBI singles in the frame.

     The win avenges a regional final loss to the Panthers a year ago.

     “I did not expect to be playing for a trip to state at the beginning of this season,” Costello told the Telegraph Herald following Wednesday win. “As a coach, you always hope for that opportunity. These girls have worked all year to do something special and now they have the chance to get to the state tournament.”

 

 

TRACK & FIELD: WIAA State Championships, Friday–Saturday, June 3–4, at UW–La Crosse Veterans Memorial Stadium

     The 121st Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Track and Field Championships and the 46th Girls Track and Field Championships will be held Friday and Saturday, June 3-4, at the Veterans Memorial Stadium Complex on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

     The meet features two sessions Friday. The Division 1 events begin at 9:30 a.m. with the competition proceeding in the order of events. Division 2 and 3 events begin at 3 p.m. The competition resumes Saturday at 10:30 a.m. The order of the finals for each event Saturday begins with Division 3, followed by Divisions 2 and 1, respectively.

     There will be numerous area athletes competing in Division 2 and 3, beginning Friday at 3 p.m.

 

 

GOLF: WIAA State Championships, Monday–Tuesday, June 6–7, at University Ridge Golf Course (Madison)

     The 91st Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Golf Championships will be held Monday and Tuesday, June 6-7, at the University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wis. Competition will begin at 7 a.m. on both days. Practice rounds Sunday begin at 7 a.m.

     Lancaster junior Josh Hentrich shot a 5-over-par 76 to finish second at River Run Golf Course in Sparta during Wednesday’s WIAA Division 3 Onalaska Luther Sectional to qualify for state. The only other area golfer to advance to this year’s state tournament, is Argyle/Pecatonica senior Mitchell Steiner. The SWAL champion won the Luther Sectional with a 3-over-par 74. 

 

WIAA BASEBALL: 

DIVISION 3, Regional final: #6 Cuba City (7–15) at #1 Prairie du Chien (21–1), Thursday, June 2 p.m. 

      The third-ranked Blackhawks will host the Cubans today at 5 p.m. with a sectional berth on the line.

 

DIVISION 2, Sectional semifinal: #2 Dodgeville (16–6) vs. #1 Lodi/#3 Portage winner, Tuesday, June 7, at Monroe, 10 a.m.

     The Dodgers, who finished third in the Southwest Wisconsin Conference, won the regional title with a 4–3 victory over SWC runner-up River Valley on Wednesday afternoon.

 

DIVISION 3, Sectional semifinal: #1 Cambridge (15–7) vs. #1 Prairie du Chien/#6 Cuba City winner, Tuesday, June 7 at La Crosse Aquinas, 2 p.m.

 

DIVISION 5, Sectional semifinal: #1 Ithaca (19–3) vs. Highland (15–9), Tuesday, June 7 at Weston, 1 p.m.

     The Cardinals defeated Cassville 3–1 on Wednesday to win the regional title.

GIRLS SOCCER: WIAA Regional quarterfinals, Thursday, June 2 

Division 3

     #6 Melrose–Mindoro at #3 Lancaster/Platteville, 4:30 p.m.

     #5 Dodgeville/Mineral Point at #4 Sparta, 4:30 p.m.

Division 4

     #8 Prairie du Chien at #1 Columbus, 5:30 p.m.

     #6 River Valley at #3 Lake Mills, 7 p.m.

     #7 Richland Center at #2 Wisconsin Heights/Barneveld, 5 p.m.