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Homestead, Kaukauna in softball finals

MADISON — It’ll be Mequon Homestead against Kaukauna for the WIAA Division 1 state softball championship.

Homestead High School downed Watertown, 3-1, and Kaukauna followed with a 4-0 shutout of Chippewa Falls here Thursday night in the semifinals at Goodman Diamond.

The Highlanders (23-3) and Galloping Ghosts (27-2) meet at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Britt Schlager had an RBI triple and scored on infield grounder to give Homestead a 3-0 lead over Watertown (24-4) in the sixth inning. Bekah Rennicke’s fourth-inning single drove in the Highlanders’ other run.

Kaukauna’s Lauren Danner shut down Chippewa Falls (24-4) on three hits.

The Ghosts became one of few teams to break through against Cardinal ace Kendra Bowe when they scored on Casey Arnold’s double and Ashley Van Zeeland’s single in the third. Danner had a two-run triple in the sixth.

MEQUON HOMESTEAD 3, WATERTOWN 1

Homestead 000 102 0—3 7 0

Watertown 000 001 0—1 5 1

Behnken and Keel; McFarland and Olson.

Leading hitters—Schlager (H) 2x3, Harris (W) 2x3, McFarland (W) 2x3. 2B—McFarland (W). 3B—Schlager (H).

SO—Behnken (H) 3, McFarland (W) 1. BB—Behnken 1.

KAUKAUNA 4, CHIPPEWA FALLS 0

Kaukauna 001 012 0—4 6 0

Chippewa Falls 000 000 0—0 3 2

Danner and Arnold; Ke. Bowe and Ka. Bowe.

2B—Danner (K), Arnold (K).

SO—Danner (K) 8, Ke. Bowe (CF) 1. BB—Danner 1.

-- Homestead 1, Wilmot 0—The 1-0 bug bit Wilmot again, enabling Mequon Homstead to snap an eight-game state tournament losing streak in the Division 1 quarterfinals.

The Highlanders (22-3) scored on a fourth-inning passed ball to hand the Panthers (22-3) their third 1-0 loss this season.

Rachel Behnken stopped Wilmot on two hits—a third-inning single by catcher Bailie Sheahan and a seventh-inning single by shortstop Kelli Hutchinson.

The Panthers’ only other losses were to Waterford and Kaukauna, also a Division 1 state qualifier.

MEQUON HOMESTEAD 1, WILMOT 0

Wilmot 000 000 0—0 2 0

Homestead 000 100 x—1 5 0

Wood and Sheahan; Behnken and Keel.

Leading hittter—Zoeller (H) 2x3.

SO—Wood (W) 7, Behnken (H) 10. BB—None.

-- Chippewa Falls 7, Verona 0—Chippewa Falls collected 13 hits in a Division 1 quarterfinal victory that brought a quick exit to Big Eight co-champion Verona’s 10th state tournament appearance in 12 years.

Kendra Bowe held the Wildcats (23-5) to two hits, while striking out 12.

CHIPPEWA FALLS 7, VERONA 0

Verona 000 000 0—0 2 3

Chippewa Falls 001 105 x—7 13 1

Holman, Schulting (6) and Hege; Ke. Bowe and Ka. Bowe.

Leading hitters—Maes (CF) 3x4, Hubin (CF) 2x4, Ke. Bowe (CF) 2x4, Hayes (CF) 2x4. 2B—Brose (V).

SO—Holmen (V) 3, Ke. Bowe (CF) 12. BB—Holman (V) 5, Ke. Bowe 1.

-- Watertown 7, South Milwaukee 5—Watertown (24-3) scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning for a Division 1 quarterfinal win over the Rockets (17-8).

WATERTOWN 7, SOUTH MILWAUKEE 5

Watertown 030 010 3—7 12 2

So. Milwaukee 131 000 0—5 5 4

Harris, McFarland (3) and Olson; Pinkos and Primrose.

Leading hitters—Raduenz (W) 2x5, Kurkiewicz (W) 2x4, Haberkorn (W) 2x4, Budde (SM) 2x4. 2B—Kurkiewicz (W), Budde (W).

SO—Harris (W) 2, McFarland (W) 2, Pinkos (SM) 1. BB—Harris 1, McFarland1, Pinkos 2.

-- Kaukauna 2, Appleton East 0—Lauren Danner’s two-hit pitching in Kaukauna’s first state appearance carried the Ghosts (26-2) into the Division 1 semifinals.

Run-scoring singles by Jordan Schreiner in the second and Grace Elrick in the third gave the Ghosts all the offense they needed against their Fox Valley Association rival.

KAUKAUNA 2, APPLETON EAST 0

Appleton East 000 000 0—0 2 0

Kaukauna 011 000 x—2 7 2

Wittman, Blasczyk (3) and Ahrens; Danner and Arnold.

Leading hitters—Van Abel (K) 2x3, Schreiner (K) 2x3. 2B—Schreiner (K).

SO—Wittman (AE) 2, Blasczyk (AE) 3, Danner (K) 6. BB—Danner 1.