Fox Valley Lutheran softball holds off Seymour to win WIAA Division 2 regional title

By Dustin Riese
For AppletonSportsPage.com

APPLETON – It’s not easy being the hunted game in and game out, and the Fox Valley Lutheran softball team is no stranger to the pressure that comes with being on top.

Fresh off an unbeaten regular season and a North Eastern Conference title in their final season in the league, the Foxes turned their attention to the WIAA postseason as they have bigger goals in mind.

After knocking off NEC conference rival Marinette 9-0 in the regional semifinal, the top-seeded Foxes were in for a tough matchup as the fifth-seeded Seymour Thunder took their crack to knock the Foxes from the unbeaten.

Nothing came easy for the Foxes as it seldom does in the postseason, as the Foxes used an Olivia Fischer single in the fourth to pick up the lone run in what was a 1-0 victory in a Division 2 regional final Thursday at Fox Valley Lutheran High School.

“It was a great game by both teams,” FVL head coach Gunner Pfrang said. “Kendra Rettler pitched really well (for Seymour) and kept us off balance quite a bit tonight. Madi Babcock came through and got us out of some big jams. Two on with no outs, and we didn’t give up a run, that’s huge for the momentum of the game. We strung a few hits together and got a big hit from Olivia Fischer to score the one run. Great defense by our girls late in the game to finish it out.”

As has been the case more often than not this season, FVL pitcher Madison Babcock was lights out in the circle as she continued to make the life of her opponents miserable. She may not have been her dominant self at times in this one, but with two walks and nine strikeouts across seven scoreless frames, it’s hard to argue with her performance as she has been the anchor for the Foxes.

FVL needed her to be on top of her game as Rettler did her best to match Babcock, and for the most part, did as she went the distance for the Thunder, allowing the lone run on six hits and striking out six batters. Anytime you can keep an offense as potent as the Foxes in check, you’re doing something right on the mound, and Rettler had the Foxes frustrated most of the day.

She was bailed out a couple of times by her defense, especially in the first inning, but that doesn’t take away from just how good she was on the mound. With neither team finding a way to score through the first three innings, the Thunder (15-7) had a chance to not only take the lead in the fourth, but to stun the Foxes in the process. That all started with an Adde Smith single to lead things off before the Rettler double set the Thunder up with two on and no outs.

It was at that moment when the momentum shifted as Babcock took care of the rest by herself and fielded a comebacker for the first out before recording a pair of strikeouts to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.

“Madi is a fierce competitor,” Pfrang said. “She wants the ball every game and is not afraid of pitching in challenging situations. She worked hard and got the win.”

Softball is a game of momentum, and after escaping the jam in the top of the fourth, it was the Foxes who were hoping to use it to their advantage as Babcock started things off with a leadoff walk. Leadoff walks are one of the cardinal sins of softball, and with Natalie Bromm following that up with a single, it was the Foxes who were threatening as they had two runners on and no outs.

What makes the Foxes such a dangerous team is that you never know who is going to come through from one game to the next and facing a 2-2 count it was Fischer delivering the biggest hit of the season for the Foxes as she ripped one through the hole at shortstop to give FVL a 1-0 lead.

“Kendra Rettler was very effective tonight,” Pfrang said. “She has been pitching really well this season. Seymour is a strong team with good energy. I think we did a good job of continuing to be aggressive at the plate and putting balls in play.”

FVL had a chance to add on in the fifth after Andi Bierman and Babcock picked up a pair of singles, but one run was what FVL would need as Babcock worked around a pair of singles over the final two innings to hand the Foxes the regional championship.

The win moves the Foxes (26-0) into a sectional semifinal. where they will face off against another NEC foe in third-seeded Denmark (21-7), who upset the No. 2 seed Luxemburg-Casco 3-2 on Thursday.

“Denmark had a big win today over Luxemburg-Casco,” Pfrang said. “Both are really good teams. Todd O’Brien is a really good coach. They have strong pitching and really good hitters.”

Foxes 1, Thunder 0
Seymour   000   000   0   –   0   5   0
Fox Valley Lutheran   000   100   x   –   1   6   0
WP: Madison Babcock. LP: Kendra Rettler.
SO: Rettler 6; Babcock 9. BB: Rettler 1; Babcock 2.
Top hitters: S, Rettler 2×3, 2B. FVL, Olivia Fischer 1×3, RBI; Babcock 1×2, run.
Records: Seymour 15-7; Fox Valley Lutheran 26-0.