Portage County Gazette

By John Kemmeter

The top-ranked and top-seeded Pacelli Catholic High School softball team erased an early 2-0 deficit to stay unbeaten on the season with a 13-2 victory over second-seeded Marathon in five innings in a WIAA Division 4 Sectional Semifinal in Plover Tuesday, May 29.

Sophomore pitcher Haley Raflik didn’t allow an earned run, and also went 4-for-4 at the plate, in top-ranked Pacelli’s 13-2 win over Marathon in five innings in a WIAA Division 4 Sectional Semifinal at Spud Field at Woyak Park in Plover Tuesday, May 29. (John Kemmeter photo)

The win sent the reigning State Runner-up Cardinals (24-0, 12-0) to face fourth-seeded Spencer (16-4) in a Sectional Final at Markesan Thursday, May 31, with a return trip to the State Tournament on the line.

“It was a good win,” said Pacelli softball head coach Ann Molski. “They scored those two runs right away, and we got the third out, and the girls came running over, and I said, ‘good teams answer good teams.’

“And they looked at me and said, ‘coach, we’ve got this,’” she said.

After opening the postseason with a 10-0 win in five innings over eighth-seeded Rosholt in the Regional Semifinals May 23, Pacelli won 10-0 in five innings over fourth-seeded Athens to win the Regional Title Friday, May 25, and advance to the Sectional Semifinals against Marathon Tuesday at Spud Field at Woyak Park.

Looking to pull an upset following a 12-2 loss to the Cardinals in the second game of the season April 21, Marathon struck in the top of the first inning Tuesday, as it reached on a error with one out and used a two-out double to put a pair of runners on base, when it came through with a two-run double to take a 2-0 lead.

“The first inning was kind of shaky because they got those two runs on us right away, but I wasn’t nervous at all,” said Pacelli sophomore pitcher Haley Raflik. “I knew my team was going to come up right behind me, have my back, and I knew (the offense) was going to come.”

Pacelli answered in the bottom of the first inning, as it loaded the bases with nobody out, when sophomore shortstop Madison Hintz had a two-run single, junior center fielder Sophie Schroeder followed with a RBI single, and junior right fielder Teesa Shafranski came through with a two-run single to give the Cardinals a 5-2 lead with nobody out.

Junior designated player Mackenzie Cashin added a one-out RBI single, and Raflik had a two-run double for her second hit of the inning to push Pacelli’s lead to 8-2.

Pacelli junior Karah Kluck races around second base on her way to score in the bottom of the third inning to give the Cardinals a 13-2 lead over Marathon in a WIAA Division 4 Sectional Semifinal at Spud Field in Plover Tuesday, May 29. (John Kemmeter photo)

The Cardinals used a RBI single from Schroeder and a sacrifice fly from Cashin in the bottom of the second to go up 10-2, and took advantage of three errors in the third to score three runs and increase their lead to 13-2.

That proved to be the final margin, as Raflik struck out six, walked none and didn’t allow an earned run on six hits in five innings to record the win, while she also went 4-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI at the plate to lead the offense.

Meanwhile, Schroeder went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI, Shafranski was 2-for-3 with two RBI, junior third baseman Karah Kluck had a double and scored three runs, Madison Hintz drove in two runs, senior second baseman Cailin Firkus scored two runs, and junior first baseman Amanda Klasinski added a double to lead a 13-hit attack.

“Our teamwork definitely started out strong at the beginning of the year, and has proceeded to get stronger as the year went on,” said Raflik. “I had no doubt that we were going to pull through as far as we have, because one through 18, we’re perfectly strong, inside the dugout, on the field, and in practices.”

Pacelli softball head coach Ann Molski greets players in between innings during the top-ranked Cardinals’ 13-2 win over Marathon in a WIAA Division 4 Sectional Semifinal at Spud Field in Plover Tuesday, May 29. (John Kemmeter photo)

Pacelli is set to play in the Sectional Final Thursday against 14th-ranked Spencer, which won 5-4 over second-seeded Onalaska Luther in the Sectional Semifinals Tuesday, with the winner to face either second-ranked Horicon (25-1) or 11th-ranked Mineral Point (16-4) in the WIAA Division 4 State Semifinals at Goodman Diamond in Madison at 8 a.m. Friday, June 8.

“People don’t realize how hard it is to get to there, and that’s something that other programs who have been successful say also,” said Molski. “It is work to get back there, last year we were the ones chasing the prize, this year everyone’s got their sights set on us.

“We’re concentrating on playing Pacelli ball; we’re going to hit the ball, we’re going to field the ball, and we’re going to do the things that have gotten us this far, we’re not going to try and do anything fancy,” she said. “Everybody’s got each other’s back, and we have a saying about holding the rope, ‘they all equally are holding their part of the rope.’

“We’re just going to keep working hard, and nobody wants to let go,” she said.