MADISON, WI- The Iola-Scandinavia Thunderbirds used timely hitting and solid defense to top defending State Champion Grantsburg 5-3 in the Division 4 State Semifinal contest Thursday.
In their second ever trip top State, the Thunderbirds looked more relaxed, and came out different than they did in the State Semifinals last year.
“We did not really talk about last year,” said Coach Tom Anderson. “We had a plan, and we always want to hit the ball and our offense gets us going an and moving, and with the speed we have, we had some good hits to go along with it.”
Last year, the T-Birds were held to five hits, but they soon surpassed that early in this game. The T-Birds scored first on a RBI hit by Clara Kohles, who helped lead the team with three hits and drove in three of the teams runs. Iola-Scandinavia got their bats going early with four hits and two runs in the first two innings. The Pirates had a chance to take control, with bases loaded but could not manufacture a run.
Iola-Scandinavia held on to the 2-1 lead until the fifth inning, where speed made the difference. The Thunderbirds took advantage of a Pirates pitching change with Maddie Much leading off the inning with a base hit and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Brooklyn Berrens got an infield single and stole second. Another wild pitch allowed Much to score and Berrens scored on a sacrifice ground out.
The Pirates scored once in the bottom of the fifth and the T-Birds scored once more in the top of the 7th to make it 5-3, but in the bottom of the 7th, two big defensive plays made the difference. Grantsburg got a lead off base hit and advancement to second, sending the tying run to the plate. Whitney Meyers hit one to shallow right field, but Marin Hoyord made what might have been the game saving catch, diving in the grass to get the first out of the inning.
“That just relaxed our defense and I feel it made a difference. I think it was that huge and it gave us that boost,” Anderson said after the game. With the tying run on base, the T-Birds turned a double play to end the game. Maddie Much earned the win with four strikeouts.
“She has been in competitive situations before, and she can handle it.”
The T-Birds will play Waterloo, the alma mater of coach Tom Anderson for the Division 4 State Championship on Saturday. For the first time in program history, some hardware is coming back to Iola-Scandinavia, which is a huge accomplishment for Coach Tom Anderson. “These girls deserve that and I am glad we have the chance to do that.”
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