LOMIRA – It took some time, but once Lomira softball scored its first run of the game in the third inning – the flood gates were opened.
“It’s hard to play anyone three times,” Lomira head coach Stacey Clark said. “We know WLA is always going to be tough. Any team in our conference is tough, but the fact that the girls kept battling and kept adjusting and just kept making plays says a lot about their battling of adversity.”
Lomira defeated Winnebago Lutheran 8-0 for a third time this season and picked up a Division 3, Sectional 4A regional championship in the process. It’s the second time in as many years that the top-ranked Lions made it to sectionals.
“It’s exciting, I’m ecstatic right now,” Lomira pitcher Haleigh Caspary said.
While Lomira left runners on base in the first two innings, Caspary held things down from the circle as she had six of her eight total strikeouts in the first three innings. In total, Caspary gave up just two hits.
“I thought she really took her time and really made sure that she was hitting her spots,” Clark said. “She wasn’t rushing though things and rushing her pitches so that was nice to see.”
Caspary helped herself out with a 2-RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning, and Lomira entered the sixth inning with a 6-0 lead.
“She’s just had this mentality, ‘I’m going to go up there, I’m going to get my cuts and whatever it takes to help the team,’” Clark said.
Winnebago Lutheran’s Keyanna Rank and Brooklyn Witt had the team’s two hits. Lomira had eight different players record a hit and Trista Gassner, Izzy Westphal, Eleanor Collins, Tori Thomas and Caspary all had two.
The future remains bright for Winnebago Lutheran, who finished the season with a 14-10 record and will lose two seniors in Addyson Suprenand and Keyanna Rank going into next season.
“Losing Keyanna and Addy will be two big holes, offense, defense, and even their leadership. That’s the big one,” Winnebago Lutheran coach John Suprenand said. “Lots of returning starters, lots of girls that did a lot of good things this year. I just told them in the huddle that each of them improved immensely from their freshman year to sophomore year. So, seeing what will happen next year, I’m excited about that.”
Lomira will see a familiar face in the sectional semifinals as it will play fellow Flyway Conference opponent, Laconia at 5 p.m., Tuesday, June 2 at Lomira. The past two seasons for Lomira have come with a loss to Laconia.
“It’s just being disciplined at the plate, swinging at good strikes, passing the bat and just believing and trusting in each other,” Clark said.
Contact or send game stats/info to Ben Schultz at BSchultz@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @benschultz52.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Caspary shines as Lomira defeats Winnebago Lutheran in regional championship
Reporting by Ben Schultz, Oshkosh Northwestern / Oshkosh Northwestern
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
