Tri-County Area prep softball pitchers play well to lead teams to wins
The Tri-County Area is blessed to have some of the best prep softball pitchers in western Wisconsin and these pitchers demonstrated their talents over the past two weeks in action.
Fall Creek's Grace Herrem threw a perfect game, in just three innings of work against Eau Claire Regis on April 29 at Fall Creek. She faced just nine batters, struck out eighth and gave up nothing else as the Crickets blanked Regis 15-0. The Crickets have risen to No. 5 in the lastest Wisconsin Fastpitch Coaches poll and improved to 11-4 overall, 6-0 in the Western Cloverbelt, with wins over Regis, 14-2 over Stanley-Boyd on May 1 at S-B; a doubleheader sweep of Cadott on April 25 at home 10-3 and 15-0 and a 5-4 win over Chippewa Falls McDonell at home on April 22. FC takes on the Macks again on May 2 in Chippewa Falls and they face a big doubleheader on Tuesday, May 6 in WCC play against No. 5 ranked Thorp at home with both teams undefeated in league play so far. Since losing their first three games at the start of the 2025 season the Crickets have only lost once since then, against Altoona.
Western Cloverbelt Conference (conf. - overall)
Fall Creek 6-0 - 11-4
Thorp 5-0 - 9-3
Chippewa Falls McDonell 4-2 - 6-3
Bloomer 2-3 - 7-7
Stanley-Boyd 1-4 - 9-4
Eau Claire Regis 1-5 - 6-7
Cadott 1-6 - 3-6
FC is moving up to Division 3 for the playoffs in a very tough field including top-ranked Grantsburg, traditional state power Poynette and defending state champ and No. 8 ranked Prescott, who the Crickets will face May 8 in Prescott. The schedule continues to be tough as the Crickets will host Eau Claire Memorial on May 9 and play the hypercompetitive and lots of teams Gilman Invitational on May 10 before traveling to Bloomer on May 13.
Eleva-Strum junior picther Ruby Batholomew record her 500th career strikeout against Blair-Taylor on April 29 at home. Unfortunately the No. 8 ranked Wildcats avenged their sectional semifinal loss to the Cardinals with an 8-2 win. But E-S is still in contention for the Large Dairyland Conference title, just a game back of Melrose-Mindoro.
Large Dairyland Conference (conf. - overall)
Melrose-Mindoro 7-1 - 11-2
Eleva-Strum 6-2 - 7-4
Augusta 5-3 - 7-5
Osseo-Fairchild 2-7 - 2-10
Whitehall 1-6 - 2-7
Independence/Gilmanton 1-6 - 1-6
The Cardinals split a pair of non-conference games early last week, beating Neillsville/Granton at home April 21 3-1 but losing at Arcadia 8-4 the very next day. They shutout Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran in EC 3-0 on April 25 and won their most recent contest with another shutout, 2-0 at Osseo-Fairchild May 1.
Besides striking out 17 Wardog batters Bartholomew was also tops for the Cards at the plate against N/G, with two hits, including a double. Maddea Brown and Mariah Steffenson also hit doubles and Steffenson had two hits as well. The game vs. Immanuel went 10 innings as neither team scored until the top of the 10th when E-S plated all three of their runs. Elizabeth Nordstrom hit a double and Bartholomew added another 20 strikeouts to her totals while holding the Lancers to just two hits. E-S is at Cochrane-Fountain City on May 2, and is home next week vs. Lincoln May 6 and Augusta on May 8 before traveling to Alma/Pepin on May 9. The Cards' will look to keep pace in the Large Dairyland before getting another crack at Mel-Min on May 20 at home. They also host No. 5 ranked Thorp on May 19.
E-S won't be seeing B -T again this season as the Cardinals will play in Divsion 4 for the 2025 playoffs while the 'Cats are in Division 5 and will be in the same sectional half-bracket with Osseo-Fairchild and Augusta. The Beavers are still in contention too, two games back of Mel-Min, who postponed their contest with AHS on May 1 due to rain. The Beavers pushed themselves two over .500 getting a doubleheader sweep at home vs. Lincoln on April 29. The first game was a conference game the Beavers won 10-0. AHS broke things open in the fourth with five runs to take an 8-0 lead. Brooklyn Kruger led Augusta at the plate with a perfect 3-for-3 showing with three RBIs while teammate Haley Strauch had two hits. Kruger also struck out nine and allowed just one hit to get the win. Game 2 was a 16-5 non-conference win in five innings over the Hornets. Rilee Bethke was the winning pitcher. Top hitters for AHS were Laney O'Brien with two, including an RBI. Kruger had two RBIs, Stella Zank had four off two hits and Cecelia Schroeder had two as well. It was also the Beavers third win in a row as they topped C-FC on the road back on April 25 by a 6-3 score. Augusta plated three runs in the fifth and added an insurance run in the sixth. Zank led the team with two hits and O'Brien got the win. Augusta lost at Blair-Taylor on April 22 by an 11-2 margin. AHS hosts Alma/Pepin May 2, their Senior Day and has a tough schedule coming up playing at Chippewa Falls McDonell on May 6, at Eleva-Strum May 8, hosting Immanuel May 9 and at the Gilman Invitational May 10.
It's been tough going for Osseo-Fairchild this season. The Thunder were tied with Immanuel 1-1 after four innings before the Lancers broke through late for a 7-2 win at Stoddard Park on April 22. O-F also lost 14-1 at Blair-Taylor on April 25 and 7-1 at home to Cochrane-Fountain City on April 29 despite five hits, inclduing a Hailie Knudtson double. Brylie Johnson struckout five and pitched a five-hitter with zero walks despite the loss. O-F will look to snap a four-game losing streak at Lincoln on May 2 or hosting Alma/Pepin on May 6 and Whitehall on May 8.
