By David Paulsen
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
Although the loss was not surprising, the fact that the final score was closer than previous games between the same two teams was encouraging.
The Burlington High School softball team saw its season come to an end Thursday in the WIAA Division 1 regional finals in an 11-0 loss to Westosha Central at Paddock Lake.
Just over three weeks earlier, the No. 1-ranked Falcons had demolished the Demons 30-3 and 19-1 in a doubleheader loss.
This time, the loss showed that the Demon girls had made progress in the final weeks of the season.
“We played much better,” head coach Gary Caliva said.
Westosha Central scored most of its runs in the second when the Falcons pushed across eight runs with the help of the only two errors by the Burlington defense.
Westosha added a solo run in the third and two more in the fifth to end the game after five innings.
Danielle Koenen was the losing pitcher, giving up 11 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits. She walked just one and struck out one.
Koenen also had the only Burlington hit against Falcon ace Sara Fonk.
The loss came two days after the Demon girls had earned a 3-1 win over Stoughton in the regional semifinal game. That win was the first regional win by a Demon softball team in at least six years, Caliva said.
Overall, Caliva saw improvement from his team this season as the girls finished 8-18 overall. That was three more wins than the previous year.
“We got better every week,” Caliva said. “I think our future looks bright.”
Burlington began the season with new starters in seven positions.
“With injuries, I don’t think we had the same starting lineup two games in a row,” Caliva added. “I think we’ll be more settled in our positions next year.”
The game was the final one for seniors Sarah Eulgen, Sarah Gannon, Riley Hornickle, Kayla Ludwig and Morgan Tulley.
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