MADISON, WISC. - One of several team goals written on a whiteboard in the Madison College softball team locker room is to win 40 games, and with a sweep of Region IV foe Highland Community College on Friday, April 27, the goal has been achieved. In a matchup of ranked NJCAA Division II teams, the #9 WolfPack narrowly pulled out a 1-0 win in the opener before exploding for an 11-3 victory in five innings over the #19 Cougars at Robert D. Goodman Softball Field.

Game #1: #9 Madison College 1, #19 Highland Community College 0 (7 innings)

A pitcher's duel highlights the game one of the twin bill with freshman Alli Walker going pitch-for-pitch with reigning NJCAA Division II Pitcher of the Week and 32-year-old Amber Lamb. The Highland sophomore faced 23 batters over six innings and limited the WolfPack to five hits. The Madison College freshman saw 25 batters in her seven innings and surrendered just four hits.

The WolfPack were able to break through for one run in the second inning, which proved to be the game-winning run. Sophomore Ashley Kniesel drove a two-out double to left, and fellow second year Ali Braddock followed in the next at-bat with a line drive single to center that was good enough for Kniesel to turn the corner and race home. Still a one-run game in the seventh, Walker struck out the side to finish off her fifth consecutive win. She struck out eight batters total to improve to a team-high 11-2 on the season.



The other three Madison College players to record a base hit were Sam Schloegl, Dany Gumz, and Brittany Bredemann.

Game #2: #9 Madison College 11, #19 Highland Community College 3 (5 innings)

Ready to bust ou the heavy lumber after the early challenge, the Madison College (40-7) lineup overpowered Highland Community College (32-9) pitching right from the start. Following RBI hits by freshmen Paige Cornelissen and Hannah Grahl. Two batters later, sophomore Ashley Kniesel crushed a two-run home run over the scoreboard in left-center field for her second long ball of the season and a 4-0 lead. After the Cougars fought back to cut the differential to one, the WolfPack answered with a five run bottom of the third that featured three extra base hits, the last of which was a three-run homer off the bat of Maddie Krafcheck. It was the freshman's third of the season. After a run in the fourth, the game ended in a run-rule walk-off in the fifth when Bre Feiler singled home Maegan Brookins for an eight run advantage.





Kniesel finished with two hits, two runs scored, and three runs batted in to lead the team in all three categories. Grahl and Dany Gumz also had two hits, while Krafcheck matched Kniesel with three RBI's. 

Hannah Wienen (6-2) worked all five innings to record her third win in her last four appearances. The Scales Mound, Illinois, native allowed two earned runs on five hits and two walks with five K's. 

Madison College is 6-3 all-time against the Cougars with three straight wins.

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