Poynette gave up four early unearned runs, two in the first and two in the second only to see Lakeside Lutheran allow two earned in the first and three unearned in the second inning. Those runs proved costly the Warriors as the Pumas used them to go on and score nine more runs in a 14-4 victory at Diamond of Champions in Poynette.
Becca Doering, Lakeside’s leadoff slapper took an 0-2 offering between third and shortstop to open the game. Arielle Stai moved Doering to second with a sacrifice bunt and when Kelsey Birschbach popped up to short there were two outs. Shannon Jones then singled in the hole between short and third putting runners on first and third. Kaity Birkholz then a high fly ball to deep center where Pumas centerfielder Rachel Renz appeared to be camped under it. However, the ball fell off her glove behind her allowing both runners to score with a close slide play at the plate to get Jones. The score was suddenly Lakeside Lutheran 2-0 and Poynette hadn’t gotten out of the inning. Mattie Bredeson coaxed a come-backer out of Ashley Kohls to end the inning.
Poynette got off to a good start, albiet a sore one when leadoff batter Maegan Brookins took a pitch in the back. Rachel Renz then managed an infield single after Brookins had stolen second base. A sacrifice bunt by Haley Radewan moved the runners to the next station and when Brooke Dredske went down 5-3 things looked a little bleak for Poynette. First sacker Abby Neabling then hit an 0-2 offering past Doering down the line in left to score both runners, knotting the score at 2-2.
Hannah Hoffman touched Bredeson for a single to leadoff the second inning and after Brett Burger went down swinging and Hollie Doyle popped out to catcher Riley Barnharst on an attempted sacrifice bunt Doering collected her second hit, a lazy blooper to short left that fell in front of leftfielder Allison Tomlinson. Stai then hit a pop up into short left that saw Tomlinson and shortstop Haley Radewan get knotted up on the play and the ball fell out of Tomlinson’s glove allowing Doering to score. The next batter, Jones hit a bouncer to short that got away from the Pumas defense allowing Doering to score and give the Warriors a 4-2 lead. Bredeson coaxed a flyball to right field to end the inning.
Poynette wasted little time getting back into the game but with some uncustomary defensive help from the Warriors. Mya Knuteson went down 4-3 and when Brea Falstad hit a ball to short it appeared that the Pumas would have two outs. However, the ball was dropped at first meaning Falstad was on board. Brookins then hit a ball to Brett Burger at short who tossed to Stai at second but the toss was a bit high and went off the second sacker’s glove allowing Falstad to then be safe at second. Radewan then singled to left driving in one and a triple to dead rightfield by Brooke Dredske sent two more home. Hollie Doyle got out of the inning when Neabling hit sharply to second. The ball got away from Stai but she was able to recover, grab the sphere and get it to first before Neabling touched the bag. Poynette then led 5-4.
From that point on Mattie Bredeson fell into a groove. After having missed nearly three weeks of the season with a hairline fracture to her fifth metatarsal on her pivot foot, Bredeson had not been able to work out until Wednesday of this week. She settled into a rhythm that saw her retire the side in the third, face four batters in the fourth including a single by Stai, and then take Lakeside down in order in the fifth and sixth. She would finish allowing six hits, walked none and fanned five. “Early on she was just a kid throwing pitches,” said Poynette coach Bob Tomlinson. “We had a chat in the circle after Stai’s single that changed some things in her approach to taking responsibility in the circle. She simply started making pitches rather than just throwing pitches. After that single she threw 23 pitches to the next 7 batters.”
In the bottom of the third the Pumas again were the recipients of some misplayed balls. Allison Tomlinson got things rollign with a 2-2 single to center and when Riley Barnharst hit a ball up the middle it bounced off the glove of a diving Burger at short and then off Stai’s glove near the bag allowing Tomlinson to scamper in safe at two and Barnharst reached first. “The play was ruled an error but in reality that was a tough play for Burger to even get a glove on the shot up the middle,” said Tomlinson.
Mya Knuteson then placed a bunt out in front of a diving Brikholz at third that resulted in the bases being loaded. Brea Falstad hit a ball to Stai at second who retired her but Tomlinson sprinted home with the sixth run for the Pumas. Maegen Brookins’ bat has been on fire lately and stayed that way with a sharp single to left center that chased courtesy runner Ashley Hellenbrand home and when Rachel Renz singled in the infield the bricks were loaded again. Radewan went down swining but Doyle uncorked two wild pitches that made it to the backstop and two runs scampered in. Dredske then singled emptying the bases. The Pumas had scored six runs. They added two more in the fifth when Barnharst singled and Hellenbrand entered as the courtesy runner again. After two outs were recorded Brookins hit a one ball offering from Doyle and launched a missle that easily cleared the fence in centerfield. For Brookins the home run was the seventh in as many games and she has batted an even .500 (9x18 in those games).
The Pumas ended the game on the 10-run rule in the sixth when Brookins Barnharst doubled off the fence just to the right of center and Mya Knuteson doubled sending Barnharst home with the 14th run.
Brookins was 2x3, Renz went 2x4 as did Barnharst and Knuteson while Neabling was 2x3 with three rbi. The Pumas collected 13 hits off Doyle who walked one and struck out two. Bredeson allowed no earned runs, six hits, walked none and fanned five to get the win.
The victory marks the seventh straight year that the Pumas have won a regional title advancing to the sectional level in the process. They are the defending champ out of the sectional and will now play Marshall at Brodhead on Tuesday. Game time is 5:00 PM at Brodhead high school. Marshall beat Palmyra-Eagle 10-0 to advance to the sectional semi-final for the second straight year. They lost to Poynette last year and Poynette went on to beat Cuba City 10-0 in the sectional final then beat Lomira 4-3 on a Dani Treinen walk-off homer in the state semi-final before losing 2-1 to Laconia in the state championship game. The winner of Tuesday’s game will play either Luther or Arcadia on June 2nd in Poynette.
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