WIAA D1 SECTIONAL SEMIFINAL: Watertown 5, Union Grove 3 (8 innings)
Late miscues allow four unanswered runs
By Mike Ramczyk
Visibly distraught, Union Grove softball head coach Ryan Boylen didn’t say much after Saturday morning’s WIAA Division 1 state semifinal game.
One thing he repeated is that the Lady Broncos didn’t make enough plays, and in the end, the Watertown Goslings took advantage and ended the Grove season.
Union Grove entered the seventh inning with a 3-1 advantage, but two errors in the seventh tied the game before Watertown added two more in the eighth and held on for a 5-3 victory.
Watertown (22-7) advances to tonight’s Division 1 championship against Stevens Point (28-3).
The Lady Broncos finished their season 28-3.
“We just didn’t make plays,” Boylen said about the late collapse. “You have to make plays.”
“My girls had a good season. It was a phenomenal season. It didn’t end the way we wanted it. Obviously, we didn’t play the way we know we’re capable of. You gotta give Watertown credit. They took advantage of our mistakes, and we made plenty of them today.”
The Broncos were two outs away from a trip to the title game, with one out and the bases loaded, up 3-1 in the seventh. Pitcher Brittany Moore induced a ground ball, but sophomore shortstop Emily Knight’s hurried throw skipped past catcher Kalista Hribar.
The runner at third scored, and hustle from the runner at second tied the game at 3-3.
Moore buckled down, getting the next batter to ground the ball right back to her. She charged the runner at third, who stopped running midway between third base and home plate.
After tagging the runner for the second out, Moore struck out the next hitter to end the threat and send things into extra innings.
Extra innings for second straight game
In the top of the eighth, Moore retired the first two batters before walking Erin Jones.
The next batter, Paige Miller, wrapped a line double to the fence in left field, which scored Jones from first.
Watertown took its first lead, 4-3, and got another two-out hit from the next batter, which scored pinch runner Margaret Lang.
With two outs, Allie Trudeau moved from right field and relieved Moore. Trudeau ended the rally by forcing a groundout to second base.
In the bottom of the eighth, Moore popped out before a Ryan double down the left-field line.
But Alyssa McClelland and Knight each flew out, and the season ended with Ryan stranded on third.
Moore struck out 11 and scattered eight hits over 7-2/3 innings. Two of the five runs were earned, due to three Union Grove errors.
McClelland drove in a run in the first inning to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead, and a Watertown balk, or illegal pitch, allowed a Grove runner to score from third and extend the lead to 2-0 in the second.
The Goslings scored a run in the fourth to cut the lead in half, but Ryan drove a long blast over the left-field fence in the sixth to give Moore and the Broncos some insurance.
Moore, Hribar, Trudeau and Brook Ottelien each added hits for the Grove.
Ryan finished 4-for-4 in her last game as a Bronco, and Moore, Trudeau, McClelland and Sam Carey are the team’s other seniors.
Seniors reminisce on Bronco careers
“It’s sad because we wanted it so bad,” Moore said.
“We wish we could’ve won it, but we know next year the girls will pick us up,” McClelland said.
Trudeau, who will play at the University of Illinois-Chicago next spring, said it’s hard to believe the four-year run is over.
“We hung up our cleats and our jerseys at Union Grove, and we can’t get it back,” she said. “It sucks.”
Ryan will play college softball at Trine University, joining Trudeau and Moore (Illinois-Springfield).
McClelland said she will attend UW-Milwaukee, and Carey said she wants to study radiology at Concordia University.
Carey said beating Westosha Central to make it to state was her best memory of her Bronco career.
Moore spoke to the sisterhood.
“The general closeness of our team is unforgettable,” she said. “We love each other so much.”
McClelland said she’ll always cherish playing as a freshman with her then-senior sister Annie.
“I loved developing and growing with these girls,” Carey said.
Ryan’s memory focused on humor.
“Before our playoff game last year, we had to use giant sponges and sponge the entire infield because it rained so much,” she said as the other girls laughed. “It was horrible,” added Moore.
“At least we won,” Carey said.
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