FREEPORT, ILL. - A pair of home runs by sophomores Katelin Gilbertson and Ashley Kniesel provided all the firepower the Madison College softball team needed as they won the 2018 NJCAA Region IV Division II District B Championship over Sauk Valley Community College on Sunday. The region title is the first in program history after five previous runner-up finishes (2017 in Region IV; 1988, 2007, 2008, 2009 in Region XIII), and comes in the WolfPack's fourth consecutive appearance at the Region IV Division II Tournament. Top-seeded Madison College got by fourth-seeded Carl Sandburg College 7-2 and third-seeded Sauk Valley Community College 9-1 on Saturday to reach the championship game, where they lost 4-2 to the Skyhawks to force the winner-take-all game two and pulled out a 3-1 win to qualify for the program's first-ever appearance at the 2018 NJCAA Division II Softball National Championships in Clinton, Mississippi.

Game #1 - Saturday, 11am: (1) Madison College 7, (4) Carl Sandburg College 2 (7 innings)

Madison College showed right from the start why they belonged at the top of Region IV as they set the Chargers down 1-2-3 in the top half of the first, then scored three runs in the bottom half. Sophomore Sam Schloegl opened with a ground ball single and a steal of second before scoring on Claire Brzenk grounder that was misplayed by Carl Sandburg College (18-31). Three batters later, Ashley Kniesel drew a two-out walk and then followed Brzenk around the bases on Dany Gumz double to left field for a 3-0 advantage. It became a four-run lead in the second as Schloegl singled in freshman Brittany Bredemann.

It remained 4-0 into the fifth when Madison College tacked on two more runs. Another Chargers error on a two-out Gumz pop fly allowed pinch runner Maegan Brookins to score, and pinch hitter Ali Braddock followed with a line drive single to drive in pinch runner Ashley Burg. The final WolfPack tally occurred in the sixth as freshman Paige Cornelissen led off with a triple to right and then crossed home on a Schloegl's ground out to second.

Sophomore Emily Wiederholt (11-3) twirled all seven innings to extend her impressive win streak to eight straight after posting just three wins in her first nine appearances. The Cuba City, Wisconsin, native was perfect through four innings and held Carl Sandburg to two runs in the final half inning, scattering three hits, striking out three batters, and walking none.

The WolfPack outhit CSC by an 11-3 margin, led by two-hit games from Schloegl, Hannah Grahl, and Gumz. Schloegl drove in two runs and scored another, while Gumz, a native of Marshall, Wisconsin, also registered a pair of runs batted in.

Madison College now owns a five game win streak over the Chargers after picking up three victories in 2018, and is now 8-3 all-time and 1-1 in the postseason.

Game #2 - Saturday, 5pm: (1) Madison College 9, (3) Sauk Valley Community College 1 (5 innings)

Day one ended in run-rule fashion with Madison College using two big innings to post an eight-run victory in the semifinals. Despite falling behind 1-0 in the first half inning, the WolfPack used one swing to seize control of the game. An error, a double, and a walk loaded the bases with one out for sophomore Ashley Kniesel, and the former Waterloo HS athlete crushed a 3-1 offering over the left field fence for a grand slam, her fifth home run of the season. The top-seed made it 5-1 in the second thanks to two singles and an error.

With starter Alli Walker in control in the circle, the 'Pack put together another big inning with three runs on two hits, two walks, three steals, and an error in the fourth, making it 8-1. To end the game early via run-rule, first year outfielder Paige Cornelissen hit a walk-off single to plate pinch-runner Ashley Burg and give Madison College their 26th consecutive win.

Walker, a first year arm from Portage, Wisconsin, settled in after allowing her only run and hit of the game in the first inning. She faced a total of 18 batters, walking two and striking out four to improve to a team-best 14-2 with eight straight W's.

Madison College posted a 9-1 advantaged in hits, led by Cornelissen's 3 for 3 effort that produced a run and a RBI for the Wrightstown, Wisconsin, native. Sophomore Bre Feiler, a product of Monona Grove HS, had the only other multi-hit performance as she went 2 for 2 with a team-high two runs scored. Kniesel's four runs driven in was tops in that category. 

Game #3 - Sunday, 12:30pm: (3) Sauk Valley Community College 4, (1) Madison College 2 (7 innings)

In the Region IV title game for a second straight year, Madison College found themselves up against Sauk Valley Community College after the Skyhawks returned from the loser's bracket with a 5-3 win over second-seeded Highland Community College (34-11). The game started exactly as the WolfPack wanted as they assumed an early 2-0 lead. An error and a Katelin Gilbertson single each accounted for a run in the home half of the first. Starting pitcher Alli Walker found some trouble in the third when three hits and two free passes to first added up to three runs and a SVCC 3-2 lead. A leadoff double in the top of the fourth marked the end for Walker, who was replaced by sophomore righthander Hannah Wienen. In the sixth, with the score still within a run, Sauk Valley added an insurance run with three singles, the last two of which came with two outs on the board to make it 4-2. The Skyhawks struck out the WolfPack side in the sixth and retired them in order in the seventh to force a game two.

Four players recorded hits for the WolfPack, including Sam Schloegl and Claire Brzenk, who each scored a run. Gilbertson tallied the team's lone RBI.

The loss fell to Walker (14-3), snapping her personal eight-game win streak after she gave up three earned runs on five hits and a walk in her three innings. She also struck out three. Wienen finished her four innings of work with one run, four hits, and four K's. 

Game #4 - Sunday, 2:30pm: (1) Madison College 3, (3) Sauk Valley Community College 1 (7 innings)

Still reeling from their first loss since April 10, Madison College found themselves playing from behind after Sauk Valley Community College (27-18) posted a run against starter Emily Wiederholt. An error and two singles made it 1-0 in the second inning. In desperate need of a spark, the WolfPack found it with two powerful swings in the fourth inning. After freshman Hannah Grahl opened the top half with a single up to middle, sophomore slugger Katelin Gilbertson pounded a 1-2 pitch to straight away center, a home run that handed the lead to the 'Pack. Looking for more and feeling the momentum, fellow second year Ashley Kniesel jumped all over the first two pitches that came her way, with the second one also sailing over the centerfield wall for back-to-back home runs and a 3-1 advantage.

The Skyhawks put together a serious scoring threat in the fifth with two hits and a walk to load the bases with two outs, however, Wiederholt induced an inning-ending ground out to Bre Feiler at first. In the sixth, Feiler again came through with a web-gem, turning an unassisted double play to erase another potential run-scoring opportunity. The defensive drama carried right into the bottom of the seventh, where after Wiederholt retired the first two batters, an error and a single put the tying run on base and brought the winning run to the plate. But with one single pitch, the WolfPack secured the region title with a groundout right back to the pitcher, with Wiederholt making the easy toss to Feiler that ignited the celebration.

Wiederholt scattered eight hits and two walks to allow a single unearned run while also picking up four strikeouts. The righthander's seven-inning performance improved her season record to 12-3 and extended her winning streak to nine straight.

At the plate, Gilbertson and Kniesel were the heroes with one hit each. Gilbertson's home run was the fifth of the year for the Onalaska, Wisconsin, native, while Kniesel fifth was her second in as many days and her fourth in the last 11 games. Freshman Hannah Grahl finished 2 for 4 with a run scored. 

The WolfPack now own an 8-3 all-time record against SVCC, including a 3-1 mark in postseason games.

Madison College's Katelin Gilbertson, Hannah Grahl, Ashley Kniesel, and Emily Wiederholt were each named to the 2018 NJCAA Region IV Division II District B All-Tournament Team. For winning the title, the WolfPack's Leo Kalinowski was named the Region IV Division II District B Coach of the Year.


Up Next:

Head coach Leo Kalinowski and Madison College will travel to Clinton, Mississippi, for their first appearance at the 2018 NJCAA Division II Softball National Championships, which run May 16-19. The WolfPack finish the regular season 49-8 and as the #9-ranked team in the NJCAA DII Poll. The tournament seedings, matchups, and game times are expected to be released on Monday, May 14. 

Click here for 2018 NJCAA Division II Softball Championship Information.

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