Junior pitcher shows grit, helps cause at plate
By Mike Ramczyk
It took a couple of innings, but the Burlington varsity softball squad showed why the Southern Lakes Conference may be the best in the state Thursday evening in Oregon.
The Lady Demons, seeded ninth in their WIAA Division 1 sectional, finished 6-8 in the SLC, while the No. 8 Oregon Panthers enjoyed an 8-4 mark and second place in the Badger South Conference. So the lower-seeded Demons had to endure the 90-minute drive.
Even without one of their best hitters and starting center fielder, the Demons proved the SLC is a different breed of talent from most conferences in the state.
Junior Josie Klein’s stellar pitching overcame a few defensive miscues, and the Demons jumped out to a 4-0 lead and held on for a 4-3 victory in a WIAA Division 1 regional.
Burlington improved to 10-13 overall and will face No. 1 Westosha Central, the sixth-ranked team in the state and SLC champion (13-1) at 10 a.m. in Paddock Lake Friday morning.
Infielder Jaina Westphal was out with an injury, and center fielder Jenna Schmalfeldt didn’t travel with the team due to illness. Hannah Ketterhagen filled in at second base, Ashley Schmalfeldt moved from first base to third, and Kya Kafar got the start at first base.
Burlington’s versatility was on full display, as the team only needed five hits and scored in two innings. Klein struck out four and didn’t walk a batter while scattering eight hits.
“It was a shuffle and we had to mix it up,” said head coach Gary Caliva. “They played well. What a gritty performance by Josie Klein tonight. She finished the game really, really well.”
Oregon starting pitcher Hannah Christensen threw with less velocity than the Demon hitters see from most SLC pitching, and it took two innings to adjust. But in the top of the third, Gracie Peterson and Josie Klein knocked back-to-back RBI singles up the middle to give Burlington a 2-0 lead.
Klein allowed two base runners in the bottom of the third, but she induced two groundouts to end the threat.
Then, Alex Naber and Alexis Lois smashed singles in the fourth, but Kennedy Nelson relieved Christensen and retired two straight batters to keep it at 2-0.
“We had a good practice on Tuesday,” said Lois, who led the Demons with two hits. “That really helped us. It’s hard to transfer from faster to slower pitchers, so working on that in practice was beneficial.”
Klein set down the Panthers 1-2-3 in the fourth before helping her cause again in the fifth. Her dribbler to first base scored sophomore center fielder Maddie Berezowitz, who walked and stole second base before advancing to third.
Nelson fired a passed ball to the next hitter, allowing Peterson to slide home safely just ahead of Nelson’s tag and extend the lead to 4-0.
Demon miscue puts Oregon on board
With runners on first and third in the fifth, Oregon executed a double steal to get on the board as Burlington catcher Halie Behnke’s toss to second was off the mark. Jenna Gratz grounded out to third to cut the lead to 4-2.
Klein kept zipping along, but an Oregon smash to shortstop in the sixth was stabbed by Peterson, whose overthrow to first allowed another run to score to make it 4-3.
By Oregon’s last at-bat, Klein showed her resiliency. She erased the first two batters with a lazy infield popout and a comeback groundout, but Marissa Klickler and Cailyn Schmidt answered with singles.
Finally, Klein forced a weak roller to first base to end the game.
A joyous leap into her teammates’ arms after the final out gave a glimpse of Klein’s relief.
“I just had to focus and take a few deep breaths,” said Klein about the shaky seventh. “I felt good. We let a few balls get by, but the defense was strong overall. We held them.”
Kira Allen, a senior third baseman who was a designated hitter Thursday, said the team is ready for Westosha, which beat the Demons twice this season.
“If we hit (Alyssa) Hrncar right away and play solid defense, we have a chance,” Allen said. “We get along great and know each other really well. We know we can beat them.”
Lois said the team’s depth and versatility makes it special, as several players can play multiple positions.
For Caliva, the players are comfortable playing on the road, and they will be ready to play against the Falcons.
“We’ll give Westosha our best effort, and we’ll see what happens.”
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