PULASKI (NBC 26) — Two unbeaten Division 1 softball powerhouses clashed in a sectional final showdown Tuesday as top-seeded Green Bay Preble took on perennial contender Kaukauna. In a game defined by elite pitching and clutch defense, it took eight innings to determine a winner.
The Ghosts emerged with a 2-1 victory, advancing to the WIAA State Softball Tournament for the fifth consecutive season.
Watch the highlights here:
Both teams featured high-level arms in the circle. Preble was led by Loyola Chicago commit Katie Geydoshek, while Kaukauna had two-time Gatorade Player of the Year and University of Virginia commit Karly Meredith on the mound.
The scoring began in the top of the third when Kaukauna’s Lilly Boyle drove in Chloe Herzfeldt with an RBI double to give the Ghosts a 1-0 lead.
Preble tied it in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, Hannah Van Haden ripped a double to the fence, scoring the tying run.
In the bottom of the seventh, Kaukauna’s outfielders made two critical catches to send the game to extra innings.
Then, in the top of the eighth, Paige Bodenheimer stole third and came home on a throwing error, giving the Ghosts a 2-1 lead.
Preble came up empty in its final at-bat, sealing Kaukauna’s return to Madison.
"It's definitely a back and forth battle always with this team," said Meredith. "I think I played them my sophomore year to get to state, and it's always a close game. We don't take them easy. They don't take us easy. So it's just incredible. It means everything.”
“This group of seniors is very special, and this team is special,” she added. “So just making it back is just amazing. Such a good feeling. No words.”
Head coach Tim Roehrig praised his team’s defense and competitive grit.
"Our defense was phenomenal today. I don't care what anybody says. Our girls came to play," Roehrig said. "They told Karly before the game, 'no matter what you give us, we're gonna give you 100% behind you,' and they did. They came in today and said 'we're ready for this,' and they were. In the end, you just have a championship level team."
Bodenheimer, who scored the go-ahead run, said this postseason feels like redemption after last year’s state semifinal loss.
“I definitely think that this is kind of like a revenge tour,” Bodenheimer said. “We should've took that game last year. I mean, definitely, we worked our butts off in the offseason knowing that it didn't go as we wanted last season. So this year, we're definitely fighting for that win of state again.”
Kaukauna has now won four state titles in the past five seasons and owns six championships overall.
Other local sectional final scores:
- Watertown 2, Neenah 0
- Denmark 6, Waupun 3
- Valders 8, Xavier 2
- Laconia 10, Shoreland Lutheran 0
- Mishicot 6, Manawa 1
