ROCKFORD, ILL. - The Madison College softball team sandwiched a pair of wins of Triton College around a loss to Rock Valley College en route to reaching the 2023 NJCAA Region 4 Division II District B Tournament Championship game(s) for the first time since 2021. The third-seeded WolfPack used a Karis Paulson home run in extra innings to up-end the second-seeded Trojans 6-4 in the tournament quarterfinals on Saturday. After a rainout and two location changes on Sunday, the semifinals resumed Monday at RVC with the top-seeded Golden Eagles winning 9-1 in five innings to send the Pack to an elimination semifinal with Triton College. Madison College held off a late Trojans rally for a 7-5 win and will take on Rock valley College for the championship on Tuesday.

Game #1: (3) Madison College 6, (2) Triton College 4 (8 innings)

Triton struck first with a two-run home run off starting pitcher Kiana Patterson to take a 2-0 lead in the second inning, and made it 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth with a walk and a double.

Madison began its rally in the fifth with a leadoff walk by Mackenna Schultz and a single by Briar Armatoski to set up Sammy Nelson for a RBI-single, which she delivered to left field for their first run of the game. With their backs against the wall in the top of the seventh, the Pack put together an impressive two-out rally to take a 4-3 lead. Ellie Rademacher got it started with a base hit to left, and a Patterson single led to a Trojans error that allowed Rademacher to score. Two batters later, and with runners first and second, freshman Jenna Redders ripped a double to center that scored Kaylin Bergum and Sophie Rivera to give the visitors the lead.

Unfortunately, the Trojans also had a little two-out magic of their own, as reliever Claire Smedema was a strike away from closing out the win when a line drive single to left was misplayed and a run scored from second to tie the game.

In extra innings, Madison was again looking for a two-out rally, and got one in a big way. Nelson reached with a base knock, and freshman Karis Paulson smashed an 0-1 pitch over the left field wall for a two-run, game-winning home run. Patterson, who re-entered the game, stranded a leadoff walk to finish the win.

Paulson, a native of Monroe, Wisconsin, went 2 for 4 with two runs batted in and one run scored. The homer was her third of the season and first since April 18. Nelson, a Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, product, also had two hits, and generated a run and a RBI. Redders finished with two runs batted in with her lone hit.

Patterson (13-3) worked a total of 6.2 innings and struck out seven batters. The former Sun Prairie HS athlete allowed three runs on four hits and four walks. Smedema tossed 1.1 innings and finished with one unearned run on a hit and two walks, while striking out a pair.

Game #2: (1) Rock Valley College 9, (3) Madison College 1 (5 innings)

Battling weather and field conditions in both Illinois and Wisconsin, the tournament took a one-day hiatus before resuming Monday with semifinal games that began with Division II newcomer Rock Valley College taking down the WolfPack in five innings. The eight-time defending NJCAA Division III champions scored at least one run in four of the five innings played. They began with two runs on three hits in the bottom of the first against starter Kiana Patterson.

Madison put a run on the scoreboard in the second. Three singles loaded the bases for freshman Mackenna Schultz, who hit fielder's choice ground ball to second base that drove in Karis Paulson. A single, an error, and a sacrifice bunt in the home half got the run back for the Golden Eagles, and the rest of the game belonged to them. A two-run home in the fourth made it a 5-1 differential and four runs on four hits in the fifth ended the game via run rule.

Sophomore Ellie Rademacher led the offense with two of the team's five hits.

Patterson (13-4) was tagged for seven earned runs and two unearned runs on nine hits and two walks. She registered one strikeout over 4.2 innings.

Game #1: (3) Madison College 7, (2) Triton College 5

An elimination semifinal rematch with Triton College followed the loss to RVC, and Triton College (41-21-1) again jumped on top early. After the WolfPack stranded two runners in the top of the first, the Trojans posted two runs on a double and an error in the same play to go ahead 2-0. Two singles and two Trojans errors allowed the Pack to come back with two runs of their own in the top of the second. Sammy Nelson was credited with a run-scoring single to even the score as Madison Coubal touched home.

Momentum took a huge leap in Madison's direction in the third. Jenna Redders led off with a double and Karis Paulson followed with a single to put two aboard for Coubal, who crushed the sixth pitch of the at-bat with a home run to center that gave the WolfPack a 5-2 edge.

The WolfPack loaded the bases in the fourth inning, and after a fielder's choice ended with an out at home, sophomore Makenna Gish laced a ground ball up the middle to plate Paulson and Redders. Another scoring opportunity came and went in the fifth as Madison left the bases loaded ahead of a three-run home run from the Trojans trimmed the lead to 7-5 in the fifth. Both teams would leave runners aboard in the seventh, with second year pitcher Addison Warner inducing a game-ending fielder's choice to send the Pack to the title game.

Hannah Aldrich (6-4), a freshman from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, limited the Trojans to three earned runs and two unearned on eight hits over 4.1 innings. She struck out one batter before Warner took over for the final 2.2 innings and earned her second save of the season. Warner issued a walk and fanned one.

At the dish, the Pack racked up ten hits, led by two each from Coubal and Nelson. Coubal, a native of Muskego, Wisconsin, drove in three runs for the third time this season and was 2 for 4 with two runs scored. She now boasts three home runs on the year. Nelson used her two hits to drive in one run.

Paulson and Redders each had one hit, with Paulson scoring a team-best three runs and Redders right behind with two.

Madison College is now 27-16 all-time against Triton College with wins in three of four meetings this season, as well as three of four meetings in postseason play.

Up Next:

Madison College (27-19) advances to the championship of NJCAA Region 4 Division II District B Tournament for the fifth time. They will take on Rock Valley College (43-10) at 2:00 p.m. in Rockford, Illinois. The WolfPack will need to beat the Golden Eagles twice to claim the title, while RVC needs just one win. Game two, if necessary, would begin at approximately 4:00 p.m. Rock Valley, which is ranked #10 in the NJCAA Division II Poll, is 46-19 all-time against the Pack with wins in all three meetings so far this season.

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