This story has been updated
Madison coach Tim Niswander could hardly get words out.
And that isn’t like him.
But his Madison Rams softball team had just accomplished something not seen in the program in 31 years and it was finally time to let every emotion possible out.
“Tears,” Niswander said. “Lots of tears. It’s surreal. I will believe it when we come to practice next week, I guess.”
That’s when the Rams will be getting ready for a Division III state semifinal game. Madison beat Uniontown Lake 3-1 in the Division III regional championship on Friday, May 29 at Deb Miller Stadium on the campus of Ashland University for the program’s first regional title since 1995.
“They showed up,” Niswander said. “And they kept showing up. Every single kid contributed to this regional championship. Even the kids that didn’t get into the game; they all contributed and we wouldn’t have won it without them. None is more important than the other.”
The Rams got on the board right out of the gate in the top of the first when leadoff batter Izzy Wamsley drew a walk. Lexi Lewis then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt that moved Wamsley to second before she broke for third where no Lake player was covering the bag. A throw to third went into the left field foul territory and allowed Wamsley to easily score the game’s first run.
The Rams tacked on one more in the top of the fifth when Avery O’Brien drew a leadoff walk before advancing to second on another sacrifice bunt by Lewis. Caliyah Clapper then smacked an infield single that allowed O’Brien to sneak around third and into home for a 2-0 lead.
After Lake cut the lead in half in the bottom of the sixth, Madison responded with a huge run in the top of the seventh. Wamsley drew her second walk of the game and Lewis again put down a sacrifice bunt to move Wamsley to second. She scored two pitches later after Clapper popped a ball into center field for a 3-1 lead and the eventual victory.
Clapper was surprised she was going to get the chance to hit and figured she would be intentionally walked, but knew she had to take advantage of the opportunity.
“That last at-bat, I was, but I was happy they pitched to me,” Clapper said. “I knew it was coming inside like it was all game long, so I focused on getting a ball through the infield to score that run.”
Clapper ended the day with three hits and two RBIs while Makena Berkshire had a hit. Wamsley scored twice and O’Brien once.
Clapper was absolutely dominant in the circle allowing one run on five hits with nine strikeouts in a complete-game masterpiece.
“It’s regional time so every team is going to be good,” Clapper said. “I knew I had to work low in the zone and get ahead in the count so I could win the at-bat. I thought about last year a little bit, but I know I have put in the work to become a better player that I was then and I was confident I could get us over the hump.”
And when the final out landed in the glove of right fielder Cadence Gushard, the celebration was on.
“Cadence Gushard made a couple of huge plays for us tonight defensively getting balls in that were possibly doubles and she held them to singles,” Niswander said. “She made great catches in the semifinal and made the final catch tonight and that kid never says a word. She plays hard and does her job. She is out here crying tears of joy and it is the first time I have ever seen her show emotion. That sums up this entire group. They banded together and here we are.”
The Rams (16-14) will play Louisville at 10 a.m. on June 5 at Akron’s Firestone Stadium in the Division III state semifinals. It’s a spot no one expected them to be in when they entered the postseason with a losing record.
“The middle of the season got really dark,” Niswander said. “It got really dark and I was concerned with where we were at and where we were going. I had never been like that in 22 years as a head coach. This was the hardest season I have ever had and my coaching friend told me it is the teams you expect that don’t make it and the teams you least expect it do make it.”
A regional championship makes all of the low points worth it in the end.
“It absolutely does,” Niswander said. “This is the greatest feeling I have ever had on an athletic field. I won’t put it up there with marrying my wife and having my kids, because she will fight me on it, but by far the best feeling I have had coaching.”
A perfect feeling to a trying season, but Niswander wouldn’t change a single thing.
“If it is going to end like this, I would do it every year,” Niswander said.
It was just one day less than a year ago to the day that the Rams suffered a heartbreaking 6-5 loss to Holland Springfield on a walk-off grand slam. Lewis was devastated after that game, but felt a huge sense of relief when the Rams were awarded the trophy.
“We walked into the ballpark and losing was not an option,” Lewis said. “That was the feeling in every player throughout the lineup. We knew we had this.
“This feels amazing. The relief. Winning this thing after what happened last year is such an amazing achievement for our team. But we are not done yet.”
The Rams are going to enjoy the regional title, but then it is back to work.
“It feels great, but I am ready to play again tomorrow,” Clapper said. “It’s a great feeling, but I want bigger.”
jfurr@usatodayco.com
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Madison Softball Championship History
Conference: 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2013, 2023, 2025
District: 1995, 1998, 2013, 2018, 2021, 2025, 2026
Regional: 1995, 2026
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Madison Rams win first regional softball championship since 1995
Reporting by Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
