This story is sponsored by Forward Financial Bank
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield bats were hot and Megan Donahue did the rest on the mound as the Tigers rolled to a 10-0 win over New Richmond in a WIAA Division 1 softball regional semifinal Tuesday at Lee Field at the Marshfield Fairgrounds.
Donahue allowed just one hit, coming from Lexi Derrick to lead off the fifth, and struck out 11 to earn the win with a five-inning shutout.
Marshfield scored six times in the fourth, three coming on a long home run by Donahue, and it was able to put the game away via the 10-run rule with a pair of runs with one out in the fifth inning.
Marshfield (14-12) will play at Chippewa Falls (17-6) in a Division 1 regional final Friday starting at 5 p.m.
Jenna Jakobi led off the game with a ringing triple to right-center field and scored as the throw to third got away, put Marshfield up 1-0 early.
Marshfield added another run in the third on an RBI single by Lexi Dupee and then exploded in the fourth. After Rhiannon Corozolla reached on an error, eight straight Tigers had hits.
Jakobi had a two-run single with the bases loaded, Emily Draeger followed with an RBI double, and Donahue ripped a three-run homer to put Marshfield up 8-0. The home run is Donahue’s 12th of the season.
“I’ve been trying to not swing at bad pitches,” Donahue said. “In the beginning of the year that was my flaw. I’ve been watching one of my favorite college softball players hit, doing her pre-swing routine, and I’ve been trying to see the ball deep. It’s really helped a lot.”
Morgan Nordbeck walked and scored on an error, and Melissa Roberts had her third hit of the game and scored on a wild pitch to end it in the fifth.
“Kudos to all the girls in the lineup,” Marshfield coach Dan Costa said. “They’re jumping on good pitches. The key for Megan is just waiting for good pitches to hit. She was impatient in the first half of the year, a lot of the girls were. Girls like Donahue, Draeger, Dupee, they put in so much work in the offseason – they work so hard. If they are selective and get their pitch, they are going to hit.”
Chippewa Falls, a perennial favorite in the Division 1 sectional that Marshfield is usually part of, made it to the WIAA state tournament last year and has advanced to Madison nine times since 2002, including four times in the last six years.
In order to top the Big Rivers Conference champion, Marshfield will have to be on top of its game on Friday.
“If we can play the way we can, we have a good shot at beating them,” Donahue said. “The way we played today was great. The way we hit and played defensively, we’re really good.”
Marshfield 10, New Richmond 0
New Richmond 000 00 – 0 1 3
Marshfield 101 62 – 10 14 0
WP: Megan Donahue. LP: Erin Peterson.
SO: Peterson (3 1/3 inn.) 3, Madeline Hatch (1 inn.) 1; Donahue 11. BB: Peterson 0, Hatch 2; Donahue 1.
Top hitters: M, Jenna Jakobi 2×3, 3B, 2 runs, 2 RBIs; Emily Draeger 2×4, 2B, 2 runs; Donahue HR, 3 RBIs; Lexi Dupee 2×3; Morgan Nordbeck 2 runs; Melissa Roberts 3×3, 2 runs.
Records: New Richmond 10-12; Marshfield 14-12.