MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (June 10–17)
WIAA D5 State Softball Championship Game: #1 Belmont 8, #3 Almond–Bancroft 3

By Jason Nihles, Bosocbel Dial / Fennimore Times / The Platteville Journal

#1-ranked Braves dominate Eagles to  win program’s third state softball title
MADISON — The #1-ranked Belmont softball team didn’t really need any extra motivation heading into Saturday’s WIAA Division 5 state championships game, but the Almond–Bancroft coaching staff inadvertently lit a fuse it couldn’t put out.

When Eagles’ head coach Randy Yonke questioned umpires in the pregame coach’s meeting if the 10-run or 15-run mercy rules were in effect for WIAA championship games, Belmont head coach Jeff Hodgson was gifted one more nugget of information to fire his team up even more.

The Braves (26–3) recorded four outs in the top of the first inning, then scored three runs in the bottom of the inning and cruised to an 8–3 victory earning the program’s third state softball title in Hodgson’s 30 years as head coach. 

“Some things happened in the pregame and he was worried about the 10-run rule or the 15-rule, and if it was in effect because they beat Throp 18–3 in four innings on Thursday,” explained Hodgson. “So, once that message got back to our players, that their coach wanted to know what the run-rule was for the championship game, we had even more motivation to come out and play well.

“If you think you are going to 10-run Belmont, then you don’t know me and you don’t know this group of girls.”

Sophomore Carsyn Ramaker got Almond–Bancroft junior Mya Dernbach, who enter state batting .505, to fly out to centerfield on the second pitch off the game, but was for an illegal pitch.

Ramaker then got Dernbach to pop out to junior second baseman Addy McNett in foul territory, then after a single to left field, got a ground out to third and a strike of clean-up hitter Oakley Omernik to end the inning.

McNett opened the bottom of the first inning with a booming double to the wall in left centerfield, before senior Kaci Riechers laid down a perfect sac bunt to advance the runner.

Ramaker walked, then stole second, and senior outfielder Morgan Freeman smoked an RBI single to center field and advanced to second on the throw. 

Sophomore Lexi Reichers laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to plate Ramaker from third. 

Then Freeman scored to make it 3–0 when senior Kalli Hodgson reached on an error by AB third baseman Tia Dernbach whose throw pulled Omernik off the bag at first base.

“Addy McNett had a long at-bat, then drove a deep double to the gap and that gave us the confidence that we could knock it around the park,” said coach Hodgson. “Then it just snowballed from there. We are a tough lineup if you let us have a couple people on we are going to score runs.”

Ramaker set the Eagles (25–7) down in order in the second and the third, before the Braves batted around and scored four more runs in the third.

Kaci Riechers was hit on the elbow to begin the inning, then Ramaker singled through the left side. Both advanced on a passed ball before Freeman walked to load the bases before Lexi Riechers reached on a fielder’s choice when Almond-Bancroft unsuccessfully went home on the play.

Then, Kalli Hodgson singled through the right side to drive in one run, and after Lexi Reichers got in a pickle after between second and third, and Freeman scored on the play to make it 6–0.

Junior Claire Runde and sophomores Emilee Reuter and Jaelyn Leitzinger hit back-to-back-to-back singles to drive in another run.

The inning finally ended when McNett struck out with bases loaded. 

“We have had a couple base running mistake this year, but Lexi was going first-to-third on that play because she thought I was sending Morgan. But their centerfielder has a good arm and I didn’t want to risk it. We ended up getting two run on the play, but who know how many runs could we have scored that inning? 

“Kalli also came up huge for us in both the first and third innings knocking runs for us and keeping innings alive.”

Belmont added an eighth run in the fourth when Ramaker led off with a single and eventually scored on an RBI ground out by Lexi Riechers.

After back-to-back strikeouts to begin the top of the sixth, Almond–Bancroft broke up Ramaker’s shutout when Mya Dernbach reached on a two-out single and eventually scored after a Belmont error and back-to-back wild pitches.

Kalli Hodgson, who earned the pitching win in Thursday’s 11–0 state semifinal victory over Ithaca, came on to pitch the top of the seventh for Belmont.

Hodgson recorded a pair of outs, but gave up a pair of singles before a would-be game-ending fly ball was dropped in left field allowing Kerstyn Clark and Tia Dernbach to score for the Eagles.

With AB leadoff hitter Mya Dernbach coming to the plate, coach Hodgson went back to Ramaker to close out the game.

“We brought Carsyn back in to face the leadoff hitter because Carsyn has a great change up and we knew she was susceptible to the change,” said Hodgson. “I am confident Kalli could have got her out too, but I didn’t want to mess around, so I went with the best match up there.”

Two pitches later, Dernbach lofted a low fly ball down the right field line, but sophomore Alexus Burbach made a sensational diving catch to clinch Belmont’s third state title.

“Alexus has worked really hard for us,” said Hodgson. “She is a catcher in our program, but with the injury to Claire Runde (a torn labrum in her right shoulder limited Runde to DP duties since early in the season), she moved to right field. She is a battler and she made the catch of the tournament.”

Belmont finished the season with a 26–3 record after going 16–2 in the Six Rivers Conference to share the league title with Barneveld. It was the 21st conference title in coach Hodgson’s 30 years as head coach

This year’s team also won the program’s 20th regional title, eighth sectional title and reached the WIAA state championship game for the fifth time in school history. Belmont also won state titles in 2002 and 2019.

“This is a special team and it may go down as one of the best team I have ever coach,” said coach Hodgson. “And I kind of thought that for most of the season, but they had to prove it. And now that they have done it they will go down as definitely one of the best three teams in school history, and probably the deepest hitting lineup we have ever had.

“And winning the state title with my daughter on the team was extra special.”

Hodgson’s daughter Kalli, Kaci Riechers and Freeman, who father James Freeman is an assistant coach, played their final game for the Braves on Saturday.

“Because of how deep our team is, not all these kids got all-conference recognition,” added Hodgson. “There are three of the best players in the league. They are three of the best players in the state. They kept playing right until the final out. They are our leaders, they were the reason we were so good and they will be missed so badly.”

After Saturday’s win, Hodgson now holds a 560–193 career record after 31 years (30 seasons not counting the 2020 COVID season), with many having speculated this would be his final year of coaching the Braves, including Hodgson himself.

He entered the 2025 season, truly believing it would be his last at Belmont after the graduation of his youngest daughter Kalli, but this year’s crop of underclassmen have him rethinking that plan.

“Addy McNett is very special to me, and really all these girls are like daughters to me,” explained Hodgson. “To watch how hard they have worked and how far they have come this year, it would be very hard for me to walk away now and not feel like I am letting them down. So, I may be coming back for another year even though that may not have been the plan to start the year.”

WIAA Division 5 State Championship Game
No. 1 Belmont 8, No. 2 Almond–Bancroft 3
(from Saturday, June 15 @ Goodman Softball Complex, UW–Madison)
Almond–Bancroft....000 001 2 — 3   4   1  
Belmont......................304 100 x — 8 10   2
Belmont hitters — Addy McNett 1x4 (R), Kaci Riechers 0x2 (R), Carsyn Ramaker 2x3 (3R, BB), Morgan Freeman 2x3 (RBI, 2R, BB), Lexi Riechers 0x3 (3RBI), Kalli Hodgson 1x3 (RBI, R), Piper Weittenhiller 0x0, Claire Runde 1x3, Emilee Reuter 1x3, Jaelyn Leitzinger 2x3 (2RBI), Alexus Burbach 0x0. 
Almond–Bancroft hitters — Mya Dernbach 1x4 (R), Aaliyah Newby 1x3, Riya Ceballos 0-2 (BB), Oakley Omernik 0x3, Lacie Bradley 0-3, Kerstyn Clark 1x3 (R), Tia Dernback 1x3 (R), Sophia Chapa 0x3, Lexi Carlton 0x3, Laney Carlton 0x0.
2B — B: McNett. SB — B: Ramaker.
W — Carsyn Ramaker (11–1, 6.1IP, 2H, 1R, 0ER, 6K, 1BB). L — Riya Ceballos (2.1IP, 5H, 7R, 6ER, 0K, 2BB).