BHS shocks Memorial
By Andy Davis - News Republic
MADISON — Danielle Vander Schaaf got all of it, then started sprinting around the bases. She could have slowed down and savored the moment a bit, but how was she supposed to know? She'd never hit an over-the-fence home run before. She picked a great time to hit her first. Vander Schaaf's sixth-inning solo shot put the Baraboo softball team up by two and helped the Thunderbirds fend off a late charge by previously-unbeaten Madison Memorial to win a regional final game 2-1 Thursday. "I hit it and I knew it had a chance," Vander Schaaf said. "I was so excited." The road doesn't get much easier for Baraboo, which will face third-seeded La Crosse Central in Tomah on Thursday. Central beat Holmen, 5-4, in an eight-inning game on the other side of the regional bracket. The Spartans (20-1) mounted a threat in the bottom half of the sixth when Jackie Koykkar drew a leadoff walk and Kadijha Marquardt-Davis poked a one-out single to right field. A passed ball put runners on second and third, but Baraboo (16-6) pitcher Tiff Stanek got a big strikeout against Kelsey Schmitz and got Tori Nelson to line out to second, ending the inning with the 2-0 lead intact. Memorial finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh, when Lindsey Umberger smashed a one-out triple to straightaway center. Pitcher Lexie Johnson then popped a pitch between second base and right field, and some miscommunication on Baraboo's part allowed the ball to fall, scoring a run and putting the tying run on first. But that's as far as the Spartans got. Stanek stayed tough against the heart of the order, getting No. 3 hitter Kristen Selbach to ground into a fielder's choice and inducing Koykkar to pop out to shortstop Megan Dorner, ending the game. Thunderbirds coach Pat Reiger said he never doubted that his team could pull out the win, even though his team struggled to live up to its potential at times this season and had the No. 4 seed in the regional. "We felt going into this season that we had one of the finest teams in the state," Reiger said. "We lost some games that we shouldn't have and we beat ourselves with our mistakes. "If we eliminate our mistakes, we can beat anybody." Thursday's game was proof of that. The T-Birds struck for their first run in the third inning. No. 8 hitter Taylor Schultz set the table when she grounded a ball between the legs of Spartans third baseman Jazie Buckingham. Ayla Jacobsen hit a come-backer that Johnson couldn't get a handle on, and a bunt by Stanek put runners on second and third with one out. Abby Schlender's slap single to left field gave Baraboo the first lead of the game. Stanek and Johnson were lights out on the mound throughout the game, with Stanek one-upping her counterpart in the end. Johnson gave up seven hits, and four of which never left the infield. She struck out seven and didn't walk a batter. Stanek was even more dominating. She gave up five hits and two walks while fanning seven. At one point, Memorial coach Patrick Joyce decided he would rather take his chances against the Baraboo infielders than Stanek. He told the bottom of his order to try and bunt their way on base, whether there was a runner on or not. "(Stanek) surprised us as to how fast she was and how accurate she was," Joyce said. "She was as hard a pitcher as we've seen." Joyce also said the regular season didn't prepare his team for a game like this one. "In the 20 victories we've had, we've been pressured four or five times," he explained. Baraboo 2, Memorial 1 Baraboo 001 001 0 — 2 7 4 Memorial 000 000 1 — 1 5 2
Pitchers: B — Stanek (2w, 7k); M — Johnson (0w, 7k).
Hitters: B — Stanek 2x3, Schlender 2x4, Vander Schaaf HR. M — Johnson 2x4, Umberger 3B.