This story is sponsored by: The Marshfield Tiger Booster Club
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – Stevens Point spotted starting pitcher Delilah Abundiz with five runs in the first two innings and the right-hander did the rest, allowing just two runs in five-plus innings as the Panthers upended Marshfield 7-2 in a WIAA Division 1 softball sectional semifinal Tuesday at Madison Field.
No. 3 seed Stevens Point (24-5) will return to Marshfield on Thursday to take on No. 5 seed Superior (17-2) in a sectional final at Madison Field at 5 p.m. Superior upset No. 1 seed Chippewa Falls 5-2 on Tuesday.
Kaitlyn Klismith led off the game with a single, stole second, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Brooke Swiecki and scored on a groundout by Maddie Miklesh and the Panthers led 1-0.
Stevens Point opened it up in the second with some help from the Marshfield defense.
Back-to-back errors put two runners on, and another error on a sacrifice bunt by K O’Neal made it 3-0. Following a walk, Emma Raikowski had a sac bunt, and Klismith and Swiecki had consecutive doubles to up the SPASH lead to 5-0.
The Panthers added two more runs in the fourth to give Abundiz more than enough as she finished with four strikeouts and no walks in 5 1/3 innings. Maren Sauvageau got the final five outs to finish off the victory.
Madalen Bornbach had a solo home run in the fourth and knocked in Brooklyn Bohman, who had doubled, to lead off the sixth. That was all the Tigers could muster as their season comes to an end with a 19-5 record and its first Wisconsin Valley Conference championship in 24 years.
Panthers 7, Tigers 2
Stevens Point 140 200 0 – 7 7 1
Marshfield 000 101 0 – 2 6 3
WP: Delilah Abundiz. LP: Courtney Donahue.
SO: Abundiz (5 1/3 inn.) 4, Maren Sauvageau (1 2/3 inn.) 1; Donahue 6. BB: Abundiz 0, Sauvageau 0; Donahue 2.
Top hitters: SP, Kaitlyn Klismith 2×3, 2B, 2 RBI; Brooke Swiecki 2×3, 2B, 2 RBI; Ashlynn O’Neal 1×2, 2 runs. M, Brooklyn Bohman 2×3, 2B, run; Madalen Bornbach 2×3, HR, run, 2 RBI; Loryn Jakobi 2B.
Records: Stevens Point 24-5; Marshfield 19-5.