It was a game between the 5th seeded Blue Jays from Cambridge who had survived a scare at Lakeside Lutheran 4-3 then upset the #1 seeded team Brodhead on that team's field. Today they invaded Diamond of Champions and played like a regional champion ought to play.
The game was tight with some fantastic defensive plays by both teams. The great plays started with a would-be steal by Cambridge's shortstop but freshman catcher Emma Gavinski wold have no part of that with a perfect throw to second to retire the fleetfooted shortstop. By the way, Emma's also caught for the Indians back in 1994 through 1997).
Later in the game it looked like the Pumas might score the first run when Ali Ripp was on second and shortstop Brooke Steinhorst ripped a liner between shortstop and third. Perhaps the ball was hit perfectly hard and right at the leftfielder who fielded it and threw Ripp out by a couple of steps sliding into home.
In the sixth inning the Pumas made a defensive change in centerfielder, inserting Grace Gavinski. Cambridge got a runner to second on a leadoff single. A sacrifice bunt rather than a steal attempt moved the runner to second base. the next batter popped out to Laken Wagner at first. with first open the Pumas intentionally walked Freeland, the shortstop to face the #3 batter. A lefty she fouled off a pitch to the left side and Gavinski instinctively moved to her right in centerfield by about 15 feet. The 1-2 pitch was lined between shorststop and the second base bag but Gavinski's heads up move put her on a straight line charge at the ball. She field it and threw a perfect bullet like, optic yellow missile to her sister at the plate who stepped up the third baseline a step or two and tagged out the runner before she could even think about sliding. The throw, catch and tag saved the game at the time for the Pumas as neither team scored through seven and then eight innings.
The top of the order for the Pumas had gone down in order in the bottom of the 8th inning on six pitches. It was pitcher Holly Lowenberg that led off the bottom of the ninth for the Pumas. She worked the count to full and on the sixth pitch hit a knee-high inside drop ball over the fence just to my right while seated just to the leftfield side of dead center. The win had let up and changed direction a bit in the top of the 8th and it was a great weather change for the Pumas because Lowenberg launched a high, towering shot that cleared the yellow tubing on the top of the fence by no more than the diameter of the ball. It was a dramatic, walk-off homer that sends the Pumas to the sectional final for the fourth season in a row.
That game will be played Thursday in Prairie du Chien Bluff View Middle school, the same site as last year's sectional final. The oppoment this year is Westby out of the Coulee Conference.
The Pumas collected six hits in the game and struck out just twice.
Lowenberg scattered four hits, struck out 7 with six of them in the first four innings.
It was a great game between excellent regional champions.
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