MADISON — The Belmont Braves will officially play for a second-straight WIAA Softball state title Saturday morning.

No. 1 Belmont (23–6) advanced to this year's Division 5 state title game with a dominating 10–2 victory over No. 4 seed Athens (16–12) early Thursday morning at Goodman Softball Complex in Madison before thunderstorms force a lengthy weather delay in this year's 50th WIAA Softball State Tournament.

Senior Carsyn Ramaker (19–6) struck out 15 batters and allowed just one hit in the complete game victory. Her 15 strikeouts tied a Division 5 single-game record set by Ava Schill or Wisconsin Rapids Assumption in 2022.

Junior third baseman junior Emilee Reuter went 4-for-4 with an RBI double in the Braves' two-run second inning, then scored a run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Junior catcher Lexi Riechers also went 4-for-4 with a double and a new individual game D5 state record two triples as the Belmont tallied Division 5 single-game record 18 hits in the victory.

Senior shortstop Addy McNett (2x4, RBI, 2R), Ramaker (2x4, RBI), junior Jaelyn Leitzinger (2x4, RBI, 2R), and junior Brittany Taylor (2x3, 2RBI) each had multiple hits as well for the winners.

Belmont (23–6) will now face No. 2 Almond–Bancroft Saturday morning at 8 a.m. back at the Goodman Softball Complex. The Eagles (27–1) beat No. 3 Blair–Taylor 11-6 in the other D5 semifinal Thursday night at Madison College.

The Braves, who beat Almond–Bancroft 8–3 in last year's D5 state championship game, will be playing for their fourth state title in their sixth WIAA state championship game in their ninth trip to the WIAA Softball State Tournament. Belmont previously won state championship in 2002, 2019 and 2025.

For more coverage of Belmont at the WIAA State Tournament see next week's The Platteville Journal or Republican Journal.