By Scott Bellile
Bay Conference champion New London earned a No. 1 seed in the WIAA Girls’ Softball Tournament, which begins next week.
The regional tournament kicks off Tuesday, May 24, with a bye for New London (13-0 conference, 20-4 overall). It will play either No. 8 Wautoma or No. 9 Xavier at home in Memorial Park on Wednesday, May 25.
If New London wins that game, it will play the regional final against No. 5 Adams-Friendship, No. 12 Omro, No. 13 Nekoosa or No. 4 Freedom. The location will be dependent on the outcome of the regional games.
Of those teams, New London has defeated Xavier twice this season (18-6 and 10-4). It lost 10-7 to Freedom.
The Bulldogs have one regular-season game remaining at West De Pere on Thursday, May 19, at 4:30 p.m.
The New London softball team locked in on the Bay Conference title on Tuesday, May 17, in a 12-0 blowout over West De Pere. The victory marks the fifth conference title for the Bulldogs in 18 years. Past titles were in 1998, 2006, 2007 and 2012.
Last year the Bulldogs lost in the state semifinal while in 2014 they were state runners-up. In 2013, they earned the championship.
New London 15, GB West 1
NEW LONDON - Four innings was all it took for New London to defeat Green Bay West Wednesday, May 18, in the final matchup of the season between the two teams.
Leah Porath pitched a complete game, limiting Green Bay to two hits and a run. She threw seven strikeouts.
Green Bay led 1-0 for an inning and a half before New London posted two runs in the bottom of the second. New London followed up with eight runs in the third inning and an additional five in the fourth inning.
New London’s McCoy Mix led in hitting and RBIs, going four for four with three batted in.
Stat leaders: McCoy Mix 4x4, 3 RBIs, 1 run, 2B. Molly O’Connell 2x4, 2 RBIs, 2 runs. Ellen Stechbauer 2x2, 1 RBI, 1 run. Leah Porath 2x3, 1 RBI, 1 run. Maddie Ruckdashel 1x2, 1 RBI, 1 run. Tori Starcheske 1x3, 1 RBI, 1 run. Abby Elsholtz 1x4, 1 RBI, 1 run.
New London 12, West De Pere 0
NEW LONDON - New London dominated West De Pere Tuesday, May 17, in a shutout highlighted by a nine-run, two-homer third inning.
During the third inning, Leah Porath landed three RBIs with her first of two game home runs while Molly O’Connell hit her own homer for two RBIs.
O’Connell pitched the complete five innings, allowing two hits and producing seven strikeouts.
Porath said the Bulldogs have been executing “awesome” pitching and catching lately.
“We have been doing the little things better, which leads to big things happening for us, and success has followed,” Porath said. “Every game a different girl seems to take their turn to get a big hit for us. Our goal is to have the girls all swinging hot bats when the tournament starts.”
The victory lifted New London to a 12-0 Bay Conference record at the time and made the conference title unattainable for No. 2 Shawano.
Stat leaders: Leah Porath 2x3, 2 HR, 4 RBIs, 3 runs. Molly O’Connell 2x3, HR. 2 RBIs. Abby Elsholtz 2x3, 2 runs, 1 RBI. Ashlee Moeller 1x3, 2 RBIs, 3B. Maddie Ruckdashel 1x3, 1 RBI, 1 run. Erin O’Connell 1x3, 1 RBI.
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