Last spring was a dream season for the Waterloo softball program. The Pirates reached the pinnacle of the sport, reaching the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) state title game before falling to champion Iola-Scandinavia. The only thing missing was a Capitol — South conference title.
That honor belonged to bitter rival Marshall in 2023. The Cardinals went undefeated in conference play on their way to the conference championship, handing Waterloo losses of 10-4 and 6-5 in the process.
The two met for the first time in 2024 on Monday, April 8 at Waterloo Fireman’s Park. The matchup lived up to the expectations set the season prior. The game was primarily a pitcher’s duel with only three total runs scored. Waterloo had the last laugh, and gained some vital conference footing, with a 2-1 win. Sophomore designated hitter Marissa Spoke played the role of hero, smashing a walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the seventh inning.
“It was amazing to see an underclassman step up like that,” Waterloo senior catcher Brenna Huebner said. “That’s exactly what we’ll need this season. It felt really good to get a win over Marshall.”
“This team really plays as a unit,” Waterloo head coach Deb Braatz said. “Coming together today gave them the fight to play from beginning to end. It was huge for us to come out and get this win. They were all ready for a strong challenge today.”
Younger players defined the day for Waterloo. Spoke’s game-winning shot to center field brought in freshman shortstop Callie Davison from first base. In the previous at-bat, Davison showed the patience to draw a four-pitch walk to get herself into scoring position. She also had a strong game defensively at the infield’s most pivotal spot.
Then, there was freshman pitcher Ally Schaumann. Monday marked her first complete game on the mound after splitting innings with sophomore Naveah Lawson in Waterloo’s first two games of the season. She brought her A-game against the reigning conference champions. Schaumann allowed only four hits in her seven innings of work, allowing one to come in for an earned run. She only walked one Cardinal and had two strikeouts. Marshall didn’t get a hit for the first two innings and scored their only run in the top of the fifth inning.
For the Cardinals, senior right fielder Mollie Fritter made that run easy to score as she belted a double up the right field line. A wild pitch moved her over to third base before junior third baseman Makayla Nemec clobbered a grounder through the middle of the infield to bring her home. Her score gave the Cardinals the first lead of the game, 1-0.
Waterloo answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning, a rare chance for offense against Marshall sophomore pitcher Kennedy Weisensel. Weisensel entered the contest as the conference’s reigning Pitcher of the Year and backed up that effort on Monday. In her seven innings pitched, she allowed only four hits and struck out a whopping 10 Pirates. This effort was highlighted with three strikeouts in the bottom of the second inning as well as two K’s in both the third and sixth.
Waterloo found some wiggle room in the bottom of the fifth inning, started by a single over second base from Schaumann. This brought up the top of the batting order, where junior left fielder Alix McCarthy grounded out to push junior courtesy runner Emerson Schulenburg over to second base. Huebner then stepped up in the clutch. She belted a double up the left field line to score Schulenburg with ease, knotting the game at one run each.
Marshall very nearly scored again in the top of the sixth inning. Weisensel drew a full-count walk and junior catcher Sydney Stuntebeck wore a pitch to put a pair of runners on base. The scoring opportunity fizzled out as Weisensel got caught in a pickle too far from second base in the middle of the at-bat, resulting in a tag out at third.
Further drama ensued in the seventh inning. Marshall started the inning with an out as a clerical error on the lineup card revealed the Cardinals had been batting out of order the entire game. Their leadoff batter was ruled out, and Baumann ensured the inning would end quickly.
Marshall followed the controversial call with a single up the gut. In the ensuing at-bat Baumann charged in from third base to catch a bunt attempt in mid-air and whip the ball over to first for an inning-ending double play. The rest was history, as Davison and Spoke stepped up when the pressure was highest to give Waterloo the win.
Monday’s showdown doubled as the Capitol — South conference opener for both teams. Waterloo starts conference play with a win and is 2-1 overall. Marshall will have to wait to win its first conference game and is 1-1 overall.
The Pirates will hope to ride this momentum into a non-conference trip to Columbus on Tuesday, April 9. They’ll return to conference play shortly after with a trip to Wisconsin Heights on Thursday, April 11. Waterloo will wrap up the week with a non-conference trip to North Fond du Lac on Friday, April 12.
Marshall will only play once more this week with a trip to Poynette on Tuesday, April 10. The Cardinals will be very busy the following week, though. They’ll start with a visit from Lodi on Monday, April 15. To follow, Cambridge will come to town on Tuesday, April 16. Marshall will then close the week with a pair of road trips, to Belleville on Thursday, April 18 and to Columbus on Friday, April 19.
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