A side of Kraut

by

Casey K rautkramer Reporter

It was a painful state semifinal

On Thursday, I arrived at the beautiful Goodman Diamond in Madison at 6:10 p.m. to prepare to cover the WIAA Division 4 state softball semifinal between Stratford and Waterloo that was scheduled at 6:30 p.m. for The Record-Review.

I discovered the state tournament softball games were starting about an hourand- a-half behind schedule. Therefore I got to watch the majority of the first Division 4 state semifinal between number one seed Grantsburg against number four seed Iola-Scandinavia.

Let’s just say this game was a good example that seedings don’t mean anything at the state tournament because Iola-Scandinavia appeared to be the more aggressive team. It’s quite possible the Thunderbirds played a tougher schedule than the Grantsburg Pirates did this season, which is the reason Iola-Scandinavia’s record didn’t look as good, or the Thunderbirds really got hot at the end of the season. Whatever the reason was, Iola-Scandinavia beat Grantsburg, 5-3, to advance into the Division 4 state championship on Saturday.

The Stratford Tigers against Waterloo state semifinal first began at 7:50 p.m. in Madison. I was talking to a lady from the WIAA during Waterloo’s pre-game warmups on the field, and suddenly an errant Waterloo throw struck me smack dab on my left shoulder. Because I provided a human shield for the WIAA official, she gladly retrieved a bag of ice from the Waterloo dugout to place on my painful shoulder. My shirt and shorts on the left side of my body were wet from ice melting out of the bag on my shoulder during the game.

Stratford led Waterloo, 5-0, until the sixth inning when the remainder of my pain started. The Pirates scored three runs in each of the last two innings to beat the Tigers 6-5. It just so happens Waterloo began hitting the softball in the sixth inning when the swarm of bugs arrived on the field. I knew that I should’ve applied bug spray before the game, but I didn’t know it would first end close to 9:30 p.m.

The Stevens Point Pacelli against Wisconsin Rapids Assumption Division 5 state semifinal didn’t start until 9:50 p.m. It was such an exciting game that my Marathon High School algebra teacher, Bob Tess, couldn’t sleep after his daughter Ava’s Pacelli squad scored five runs in the last inning for an 8-7 win. It just so happens Tess and the other Pacelli softball parents were staying at the same hotel that I did on Thursday night.

His daughter’s Pacelli team ended up winning the Division 5 state championship, 9-6, against Oakfield on Saturday. Iola-Scandinavia beat Waterloo, 10-6, in the Division 4 state championship.