Columbus Catholic softball overcomes early deficit, rips Pepin/Alma to win WIAA Division 5 regional final

Columbus Catholic’s Akosua Yeboah slides safely back into third base during the fourth inning of the Dons’ 13-3 win over Pepin/Alma in a WIAA Division 5 softball regional final Thursday at the Marshfield Fairgrounds. (Photo by Paul Lecker/MarshfieldAreaSports.com)
Columbus Catholic’s Hailey Zimmermann delivers a pitch in the opening inning of the Dons’ WIAA Division 5 softball regional final against Pepin/Alma on Thursday at the Marshfield Fairgrounds. The Dons won, 13-3. (Photo by Paul Lecker/MarshfieldAreaSports.com)

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MarshfieldAreaSports.com

MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield Columbus Catholic softball team found itself down 3-0 early against Pepin/Alma in a WIAA Division 5 regional final matchup Thursday at the Marshfield Fairgrounds, so the Dons turned to small ball to get them through and it paid off with a couple of big innings.

The Dons scored five runs in the fourth inning to take the lead with only one ball leaving the infield, then tacked on eight more in the fifth to finish off a 13-3 win to claim the regional championship.

The No. 2 seed Columbus Catholic (17-4) will play a D-5 sectional semifinal at No. 1 seed and defending state champion Wisconsin Rapids Assumption (17-2) on Tuesday at Robinson Park in Wisconsin Rapids at 5 p.m. Assumption defeated Columbus Catholic in a regular-season matchup 7-1 back on May 13.

Akosua Yeboah had a single, a double and a triple, scored twice and drove in three runs to pace the Dons’ offense.

Hailey Zimmermann went 3-for-4 with an RBI, and went the distance on the mound for Columbus Catholic, striking out two and walking two, shutting down the Eagles (14-13) after the second inning.

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Dons 13, Eagles 3
Pepin/Alma 030 00 – 3 5 2
Columbus Catholic 000 58 – 13 11 1
WP:
Hailey Zimmermann. LP: Alidah Luff.
SO: Luff 3; Zimmermann 2. BB: Luff 1; Zimmermann 2.
Top hitters: PA, Kaylee Auth 1×2, RBI; Luff 1×1, RBI. CC, Cierra Dieringer 2×4, 3 RBI, run; Zimmermann 3×4, RBI; Akosua Yeboah 3×4, 2B, 3B, 2 runs, 3 RBI; Shelby Spata 1×2, 2 runs, RBI; Mattea Schlafke 1×3, 2 runs; Hailey Hargraves 2 runs, 2 RBI.
Records: Pepin/Alma 14-13; Columbus Catholic 17-4.