MOLINE, ILL. - Saturday's 2024 NJCAA Region 4 Division II Softball Tournament - hosted by Black Hawk College - opened with an instant classic between #5-seeded Madison College and top-seeded Rock Valley College; however, the 14-inning marathon ended in heartbreak for the WolfPack and left them exhausted heading into an elimination game. Madison College lost the semifinal by a 4-3 final in walk-off fashion against the Golden Eagles, and then were eliminated with a 10-1 loss in five innings against #2-seed Bryant & Stratton College. The losses end the WolfPack season with a 29-13 record.

Semifinal #1: (1) Rock Valley College 4, (5) Madison College 3 (14 innings)

Defending Regin 4 champion Rock Valley College took advantage of two early errors by the WolfPack defense in the bottom of the first. With two runners on, the Golden Eagles hit a ground ball double that drove in both runners for a 2-0 lead.

The two defenses limited the opposing bats over the course of the next four innings. In the top of the sixth, Madison College was finally able to break through. Freshman Abbey Remington led off with an infield single, stole second, and advanced to third on an Ava Stahl ground out. Sophomore Mackenna Schultz then grounded a ball to the shortstop, which was good enough for Remington to race for and cut the two-run deficit in half.

After stranding a pair of RVC runners in the bottom of the sixth, the WolfPack found some seventh inning magic to tie the game. Freshman Brooke Anderson led off with a double to center, and fellow first year Brooke Steinhorst lined a single to center to drive in Anderson and even the score at 2-2. When the Golden Eagles failed to score in the home half, the game was headed for extra innings.

Magic struck again in the bottom of the eighth after a single, an error, and a walk loaded the bases for Rock Valley. The next batter laced a line drive to shallow right field, where sophomore Karis Paulson made a shoe-string grab, and the Pack was able to get runners out at second and third that failed to tag up for a remarkable triple play.



The game continued on with tremendous pitching and defense for five more innings until both team produced runs in the 14th inning. Sophomore shortstop Jenna Redders doubled on a hard ground ball to left, and two batters later, Steinhorst came through with her second clutch hit of the game. The Poynette, Wisconsin, native sent a ball to the right field corner that got past a diving rightfielder for a two-bagger that scored Redders and gave the WolfPack its first lead of the game at 3-2.



Unfortunately, RVC had an answer in the bottom half, which opened with a walk. A hit batter later in the inning put two runners on, and after a ground out moved them into scoring position, sophomore infielder Sam Tourtillot batted a fly ball to right field that got down for a walk-off, two-run double.

Weik (15-5), a native of Fifield, Wisconsin, threw 204 pitches over her 13.2 innings of work.She allowed just two earned runs on 12 hits and two walks. Weik also struck out three to reach 117 K's for the season, marking the fourth most in a single-season in school history.

Steinhorst finished 3 for 5 to match a career-high of three hits set on March 5. She led the team with two runs batted in. Redders, a former Middleton HS athlete, had two hits and a run scored, while Paulson, a Monroe, Wisconsin, product, also had two hits. Both Remington and Anderson finished with a hit and a run scored. 

Rock Valley College (31-13) went on to defeat #3-seed Kankakee Community College 7-2 to claim the Region 4 Midwest District A Championship and earn a spot in the NJCAA Division II Softball Championships.

Elimination #1: (2) Bryant & Stratton College 10, (5) Madison College 1 (5 innings)

Following the three-and-a-half hour marathon, Madison College had to regroup fast for an elimination game just over two hours later against Bryant & Stratton College, who entered the tournament ranked #15 in the latest NJCAA Division II Poll. The game got away from the WolfPack in the second inning when they allowed seven runs on three hits, three walks, two errors and a wild pitch against starter Hannah Aldrich

Madison College did get one run back in the top of the third. First year outfielder Abbey Remington roped a triple past the leftfielder and scored on Ava Stahl's sacrifice fly to left. 

Unfortunately, the WolfPack bats went silent from that point on, while the Bobcats got out the heavy lumber in the bottom of the fourth with three solo home runs off reliever Ella Wyskochil.

The Pack was held to three hits in the game. Remington had a hit and a run scored, while Stahl had a hit and a run batted in. Karis Paulson accounted for the third base knock.

Aldrich (4-1) took her first loss of the season after allowing four earned runs on a hit and three walks. She last 1.2 innings before Wyskochil took over for the final 2.1 innings. The second year arm was credited with three earned runs of the six total allowed and gave up five hits.

Bryant & Stratton College (39-6) went on to defeat #3-seed Kankakee Community College (43-8) by a 3-0 final to claim the Region 4 Midwest District B Championship and earn a spot in the NJCAA Division II Softball Championships.

Following the game, freshman pitcher Kendall Weik was named to the Region 4 All-Tournament Team for her performance in the circle against Rock Valley College.

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