Softball in the Capitol - South conference has been dominated by Highway 19 for the last three seasons. To the East of the route, Waterloo won an undefeated conference title in 2022. To the West, Marshall claimed an undefeated title in 2023. This spring, the two rivals split it, both finishing 7-1 in conference play to finish as co-champions of the Capitol - South.
With the next-best team finishing at 3-5, deciding a Capitol - South champion truly hung in the balance of Marshall and Waterloo's two regular season meetings. Waterloo hosted the first meeting on Monday, April 8. Marshall hosted the rematch on Thursday, April 25.
That opening matchup at Waterloo went down as an instant classic. The game was primarily a pitcher’s duel with only three total runs scored. Waterloo struck last in a dramatic 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.
Waterloo had the chance to win thanks to freshman pitcher Ally Schaumann, who threw the first complete game of her high school career that afternoon. She 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.
Schaumann was dueling with Marshall sophomore Kennedy Weisensel, the conference’s reigning Pitcher of the Year. 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.
Weisensel and her Cardinals would have their revenge in the rematch on their home diamond, a 7-3 victory. Six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning helped the Cardinals exact revenge.
The game started as another pitcher's duel as neither team scored for the first three innings. Once the Cardinals' bats found their rhythm, though, they were hard to slow down. Seniors Naomi Dahl and Kate Luzenski both drove in two RBIs each while senior Mollie Fritter and juniors Sydney Stuntebeck and Lyliane Browne all added one.
There was still plenty of softball to be played following the conclusion of this rivalry series. Marshall handled business by crushing Cambridge 15-0 on the road on Friday, May 3 then capped off conference play with a home 11-2 win over Belleville on Tuesday, May 14. Waterloo earned home wins over both Wisconsin Heights (Tuesday, April 30) and Cambridge (Friday, May 10) by the score of 13-3.
The Cardinals and Pirates were the clear-cut best teams in the conference this spring. Marshall finished with a final run differential of +85 in Capitol - South play, trailed closely by Waterloo at +81.
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Final Capitol - South conference standings
(overall records in parenthesis)
-as of Tuesday, May 14
T1. Marshall, 7-1 (15-5)
T1. Waterloo, 7-1 (13-8)
T3. Cambridge, 3-5 (5-9)
T3. Wisconsin Heights, 3-5 (4-16)
5. Belleville, 0-8 (1-14)
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