Pacelli sophomore second baseman Briar Armatowski, senior third baseman Karah Kluck (7) and freshman catcher Jayden Hytry (26) walk off the field after the Cardinals’ 5-1 loss to Mishicot in the WIAA Division 4 State Semifinals at Goodman Diamond in Madison Thursday, June 6. (John Kemmeter photo)

Portage County Gazette

By John Kemmeter

The Pacelli Catholic High School softball team was unable to overcome a slow start, as it lost to second-ranked Mishicot in a WIAA Division 4 State Semifinal at Goodman Diamond in Madison Thursday, June 6.

Playing in the State Tournament for the third year in a row, the fifth-ranked Cardinals (19-7) fell behind 4-0 in the top of the first inning and were unable to come all the way back, as Mishicot improved to 25-0 with a 5-1 win to end Pacelli’s season at 19-7.

“It’s tough,” said Pacelli senior third baseman/pitcher Karah Kluck. “You come down here, it’s 10 o’clock at night, they had one good inning, and that’s what happened.”

“It’s never easy, and it never gets old coming to state,” said Pacelli softball head coach Ann Molski. “But when you get down here, you have to be ready to play your best ball every pitch, every game, every inning.

“And if you have a little falter, you lose,” she said.

Pacelli junior pitcher Haley Raflik (27) throws to first base for an out during the Cardinals’ 5-1 loss to Mishicot in the WIAA Division 4 State Semifinals at Goodman Diamond in Madison Thursday, June 6. (John Kemmeter photo)

In the seventh and final game of the opening day of the State Tournament Thursday, the Cardinals took the field for warm-ups minutes before the deadline that allowed their Division 4 State Semifinal to start at 10:10 p.m., instead of having to head home and come back to Madison to play the game at 8 a.m. Friday, June 7.

Mishicot struck in the top of the first inning, as it used a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases with two outs, then scored on a single to right field and an error to take a 2-0 lead, and followed with a two-run single to left field to go up 4-0.

Mishicot drew three consecutive walks off Pacelli junior pitcher Haley Raflik to start the top of the second inning and load the bases with nobody out, and followed a double play with a two-out RBI single up the middle to increase its lead to 5-0.

“It wasn’t the start we were looking for,” said senior right fielder Teesa Shafranski. “We hit the ball, but it didn’t seem to come around for us.

“Versus with them, they were able to capitalize,” she said.

The Cardinals got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning, as sophomore second baseman Briar Armatowski had a two-out single and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches, and Kluck came through with a RBI single to right field to make it 5-1.

Senior third baseman Karah Kluck drives in a run with a RBI single in the bottom of the third inning in the Pacelli softball team’s 5-1 loss to Mishicot in the WIAA Division 4 State Semifinals in Madison Thursday, June 6. (John Kemmeter photo)

That put runners on first and third with two outs, but Mishicot got a pop-up to the catcher in foul territory to end the Pacelli threat and maintain its 5-1 lead.

The Cardinals were unable to take advantage of a leadoff single from Shafranski to start the bottom of the fourth inning and came up empty in the frame, while Raflik and Armatowski had back-to-back singles with one out in the bottom of the fifth, before Mishicot hauled in a line drive in center field and doubled the runner off of second base to end the inning.

“We were right in there,” said Molski. “But their center fielder made a great catch.”

Shafranski recorded her third hit of the night with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, but Mishicot got a pop-up to first base to end the inning, which was the sixth runner left stranded on base for the Cardinals.

Meanwhile, Raflik retired 14 consecutive batters from the top of the second inning until a one-out single from Mishicot in the top of the seventh, which was erased by a double play from Pacelli that left the team down 5-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh.

However, Mishicot retired the next three hitters in order to win 5-1 and advance to the State Championship Game Saturday, June 8.

“We played a really good game, but they had a couple of good hits,” said senior left fielder Mackenzie Cashin. “We were going after everything, I think they just hit some good pockets, and unfortunately it didn’t really land in our favor at the end.

“But I think we all put our hearts on the line here,” she said.

“The girls gave everything they had, they had their hearts right on the sleeves ready to go, and I thought all the way until the seventh inning, ‘OK, here’s our inning, OK, here’s our inning,”” said Molski. “And their pitcher kept us off-balance enough that we weren’t able to get that big hit.”

Pacelli softball head coach Ann Molski high fives members of her team following a 5-1 loss to Mishicot in the WIAA Division 4 State Semifinals at Goodman Diamond in Madison Thursday, June 6. (John Kemmeter photo)

Senior pitcher Megan Junk struck out three, walked two and allowed one earned run on seven hits over seven innings to earn the win in the circle for Mishicot, which lost 13-4 to top-ranked and defending State Champion Horicon (25-1) in the State Championship Game Saturday morning.

Shafranski went 3-for-3 and Armatowski was 2-for-3 Thursday night against Mishicot to lead the Pacelli offense, while Raflik took the loss after she allowed four earned runs on five hits, walked four and struck out three in seven innings.

Pacelli senior right fielder Teesa Shafranski went 3-for-3 in the Cardinals’ 5-1 loss to Mishicot in the WIAA Division 4 State Semifinals at Goodman Diamond in Madison Thursday, June 6. (John Kemmeter photo)

The loss was the final game for Pacelli’s seven seniors in Kluck, Shafranski, Cashin, center fielder Sophie Schroeder, Frances Eckendorf, Alex Shibliski and Maddy Hinaus, who helped the team go 84-20 and make three consecutive State Tournament appearances over the last four years.

“This group of seven seniors has put in so much work and so much heart,” said Molski. “And it’s always hard to say goodbye to a group that have worked so much and so well together.

“And like I told them out on the field now, it’s their turn to hand the baton off, hand it off to the next girls and say, ‘alright it’s your job,’” she said. “‘And next year, you be the ones in the stands cheering us on to get back here.’”

Molski said that overall she’ll remember what a fun group her team was this season, as the Cardinals overcame a 5-5 stretch to close out the regular season by winning four consecutive playoff games to earn a return trip to Madison.

“We really pulled together at the end,” said Schroeder. “We really came together during the playoffs, and really were a ‘team.’

“We had fun and we really just let loose, and had nothing to lose,” she said. “And we just went for it.”

“This group of girls, it’s like a big family,” said Molski. “They’re very bright, we’ve got the salutatorian and valedictorian on my team, and they’re just a really nice group of girls.

“And as bright as they are, their hearts are just as (big), if not bigger, than what the academics are,” she said. “I’m just so proud of them as human beings, and I just can’t wait to see the great things that these young ladies are going to do.”

Pitcher Haley Raflik, catcher Jayden Hytry, third baseman Karah Kluck, shortstop Madi Hintz, second baseman Briar Armatowski and first baseman Emily Grezenski huddle before the start of the third inning in the Cardinals’ 5-1 loss to Mishicot in the WIAA Division 4 State Semifinals at Goodman Diamond in Madison Thursday, June 6. (John Kemmeter photo)

Pacelli junior shortstop Madi Hintz waves to the crowd during player introductions before the start of the WIAA Division 4 State Semifinals at Goodman Diamond in Madison Thursday, June 6. (John Kemmeter photo)

Sophomore second baseman Briar Armatowski went 2-for-3 and scored a run in the Pacelli Catholic High School softball team’s 5-1 loss to Mishicot in the WIAA Division 4 State Semifinals at Goodman Diamond in Madison Thursday, June 6. (John Kemmeter photo)

Senior center fielder Sophie Schroeder waits for a pitch during the fifth-ranked Pacelli softball team’s 5-1 loss to second-ranked Mishicot in the WIAA Division 4 State Semifinals at Goodman Diamond in Madison Thursday, June 6. (John Kemmeter photo)

Junior pitcher Haley Raflik waves to the crowd during player introductions before the start of the Pacelli softball team’s WIAA Division 4 State Semifinal against Mishicot at Goodman Diamond in Madison Thursday, June 6. (John Kemmeter photo)

Pacelli senior Mackenzie Cashin throws a ball in from left field during the fifth-ranked Cardinals’ 5-1 loss to second-ranked Mishicot in the WIAA Division 4 State Semifinals at Goodman Diamond in Madison Thursday, June 6. (John Kemmeter photo)

Pacelli softball first baseman Emily Grezenski prepares to haul in a pop-up during the fifth-ranked Cardinals’ 5-1 loss to second-ranked Mishicot in the WIAA Division 4 State Semifinals at Goodman Diamond in Madison Thursday, June 6. (John Kemmeter photo)

Pacelli freshman catcher Jayden Hytry throws a runner out at first base in the Cardinals’ 5-1 loss to Mishicot in the WIAA Division 4 State Semifinals at Goodman Diamond in Madison Thursday, June 6. (John Kemmeter photo)

Pacelli softball head coach Ann Molski and assistant coach Tom Kujawski smile during player introductions before the WIAA Division 4 State Semifinal at Goodman Diamond in Madison Thursday, June 6. (John Kemmeter photo)

The 2019 Pacelli Catholic High School softball team won the Central Wisconsin Conference South Title and finished 19-7 after it earned the program’s third consecutive trip to the WIAA State Tournament. (John Kemmeter photo)