MADISON, WISC. - The Madison College softball team is moving on the 2022 Region 4 Division II District A Tournament after sweeping Tuesday's Best-of-three Quarterfinal series against Prairie State College at Robert D. Goodman Softball Field. The #2-seeded WolfPack blitzed the #7-seeded Pioneers in the first game with a 13-0 win in five innings, before rallying for a 2-1 series clinching win in the finale. The Pack, winners of seven straight, is now 8-2 all-time against PSC, including a 4-0 mark in head-to-head meetings in the postseason.

The team also celebrated Sophomore Day between games after the original ceremony was canceled last week. The WolfPack recognized nine second year players, including Brianna Brandner, Abbie Cavadini, Casey Fountain, Maddie Kvatek, Grace Madeiros, Mia Noelker, Trista Ripp, Mallory Sterling, and Taylor VonBehren.

Game #1: (2) Madison College 13, Prairie State College 0 (5 innings)

Madison College got things going early with a run scored after just two batters. Brianna Brandner led off with a single, and scored on a double and an error of the bat of 2021 NJCAA All-American Maddie Kvatek. Kvatek then scored on a Casey Fountain ground out, which was followed by a Mia Noelker double and a run-scoring single by Trista Ripp to make it 3-0 after the first inning.

The WolfPack loaded the bases in the second inning as Noelker stepped to the plate, and her one-out single to center drove in plate Brandner and Kvatek. Bri Unger got in the mix with a two-out base hit to drive in Noelker and the home team held a six-run lead.

The score jumped to 8-0 in the third after a sacrifice fly from Briar Armatoski and a RBI-single off the bat of Brandner. They officially put the game out of reach in the fourth with five more runs on six hits and an error. Ripp drove a ball to the wall in right for a run-scoring triple, but wound up touching all four bases on a Pioneers error. Armatoski added another RBI single and Kvatek capped the scoring with a two-run double to right.

Not to be overshadowed, Fountain (13-3) was twirling a gem in the pitcher's circle as she held PSC without a hit over four innings en route to her 26th career victory. The native of Poynette, Wisconsin, struck out seven and came a walk away from a perfect game before giving way to Kiana Patterson for the fifth inning. Patterson allowed a hit and struck out the final batter of the game.

Brandner, a former Portage HS athlete was a perfect 4 for 4 at the plate to match a career high for hits. She drove in one run and scored a team-leading three.

Kvatek went 3 for 4 with a team-best three runs batted in and two runs scored, while Ellie Rademacher also had three hits and scored two runs. Noelker, Ripp, and Abbie Cavidini also produced to hits each to help the WolfPack amass a season-high 18 hits. Noelker had two runs scored and two driven in.

Game #1: (2) Madison College 13, Prairie State College 0 (5 innings)

The home team did not find the same offensive fire power in the second game, struggling to just get two hits in the contest. Prairie State College (5-33) struck first with an unearned run in the top of the first off starter Mallory Sterling. An error by Madison College on a pop fly allowed the first batter of the game to reach, and three batters later, she scored on a groundout to second.

Three walks in the bottom of the third did load the bases for the WolfPack, however, Sophie Rivera's ground ball was snared by the pitcher to end the.

The game turned on one throw in the fourth inning. After Makenna Gish led off with a line-drive single back up the middle, second baseman Grace Madeiros dropped a sacrfice bunt down the third base line. The throw from third was high and caromed into the right field corner, allowing Gish and Madeiros to motor around the bases for the Pack's only two runs of the game.

Sterling, who had settled in nicely after allowing the early run, limited the Pioneers to just three hits over seven innigs to improve to 6-4 on the year. She walked two and fanned six before retiring three batters in order to close out the win in the seventh. 

Gish, a native of West Bend, Wisconsin, had a hit and a run scored, while Kvatek produced the team's other base knock.

Up Next:

Madison College (30-14) advances to the Region 4 Division II Tournament at Read Park in Freeport, Illinois, from May 14-15. They will open against #6-seed Sauk Valley Community College (18-15), who upset #3-seed Moraine Valley Community College on the road despite losing the first game of their best-of-three series. The Skyhawks split a doubleheader with the WolfPack in Madison on April 16, however, the Pack boasts a 14-4 all-time series lead, which includes a 3-2 mark in postseason contests. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. Watch live and follow stats via the GameChanger app.



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