JWP softball sees season come to an end with section tournament loss to Madelia

After having Tuesday’s Section 2A softball Tournament postponed a day due to severe thunderstorms in the region, the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton softball team hosted the Madelia Blackhawks in the opening round. After being put on the defensive with Madelia scoring twice in the top of the first, the Bulldogs offense was unable to put together any big runs, eventually falling 4-1 to see the season come to an abrupt end.

Ryleigh Donner pitched the complete game for JWP, surrendering just four runs on seven hits while striking out three, but the run support came up short for the team despite five hits.

The Blackhawks scored a pair of first-inning runs on a two out, two RBI single to centerfield. The Bulldogs lone senior, Alexis Dahlberg, ripped a two-out double into right field in the bottom of the first, but a strikeout stranded her at third after she stole the bag on the first pitch.

The next runs came in the top of the fifth when a leadoff triple and a walk followed by a stolen base allowed Madelia to bring home two baserunners on a single to centerfield.

With the game on the line in the bottom of the seventh, Dahlberg hit a leadoff single and stole second but ended up getting caught stealing third during the third at-bat, following a fly out to left. With two outs, Hudson Miller was brought home on a single to center from Autumn Thissen to score the first run of the night for JWP.

With Thissen on base and two outs, the game and season came to an end with a pop out to second base. Dalhberg finished the game 2-3 from the plate while Miller, Thissen and Kayle Langford all recorded one hit each.

The game marks the end of a run for Dalhberg in which the team has shown considerable improvement each season, despite the bittersweet ending Wednesday.