Sixth-ranked Lake Mills grabbed an early lead and tacked on four insurance runs in the seventh inning, topping host Lakeside Lutheran 8-4 in Capitol North softball on Tuesday, April 16.
Savannah Radtke led off the game by singling up the middle. She scored from there on a one-out line-shot double to right by Haydenn Sellnow, who took third on the throw home and later scored on a passed ball for the L-Cats (9-0, 2-0 in conference).
Emily Wollin opened the Lake Mills fifth with a double and came around on Lily Doerr's one-out liner to left for a double to make it 3-0.
"We emphasize plate discipline and pitch selection," Lake Mills softball coach Jim Clift said. "We swing aggressively but only at strikes. Thus far, that mentality has worked. Kieghtan Rank and Lakeside, I give them a lot of credit. She's a good pitcher who has improved from last year.
"Her riseball was fooling us early and we were chasing it. We moved up in the box and down the stretch, we got on her a little as the game wound down. This was another good competitive, Lake Mills-Lakeside game."
Abby Meis' two-run single with two outs in the fifth got the Warriors within a run.
"Offensively we put the ball in play well against a good pitcher," Lakeside softball coach Matt Doering said. "There were a number of hard-hit balls that could have been huge if they found holes. Abby had a solid night at the plate to lead us with 3 RBI and a 2-for-4 day."
Payton Quest, who was 3-for-4, doubled in the Lake Mills sixth and was driven in on a two-out single up the gut by Mads Sherry.
Radtke got the wheels turning in the L-Cat seventh, leading off with a bunt single. Sellnow, who was 3-for-4, and winning pitcher Ava Kleinfeldt had back-to-back run-scoring hits before Sherry singled in a run to make it 8-2.
Lakeside (2-4, 0-2) fought back with two outs in the seventh as Kieghtan Rank singled, scoring on a double to left by Meis. Keyanna Rank followed with an RBI single before Kleinfeldt got a ground out to first baseman Taylor Wollin to end it as the L-Cats' undefeated start to the season continued.
"The thing I'm most proud of is how we have bought into dialing into the next play," Clift said. "Throughout my entire time at Lake Mills we've told them 'if you make an error, it doesn't matter for the next play.'
"Our success is very directly related to our mental approach to the game. At the plate, on defense and with our pitchers, we are just really clicking in all three phases of the game."
Kleinfeldt went the distance, allowing four runs (two earned) on seven hits with seven strikeouts, no walks.
"Ava, in many ways, there's similarities to Taylor Roughen from a few years ago," Clift said. "Ava's very even-keeled and she just is not very flappable. Her fastball speaks for itself. She's one if not the hardest throwers in the Capitol. She has a little work to do on her off-speed stuff. If she improves with that, which I suspect she will, she becomes less and less hittable."
Kieghtan Rank worked all seven frames and struck out 15, walking one. She gave up 14 hits and seven earned runs.
"This was a really good game and a battle throughout, into the seventh inning," Doering said. "Credit Lake Mills. They were solid in the circle and put offense together in stretches to get the win.
"Kieghtan threw well and we played good defense. They hit the ball and strung them together in the seventh to stretch the lead, but we didn't quit and put up two more runs in the seventh.
"Defensively, we played a pretty solid game in some tough and windy conditions. We continue to improve and we will get a breakthrough win at some point."
On Thursday, Lake Mills hosts Poynette and Lakeside hosts Columbus.
LAKE MILLS 8, LAKESIDE 4
Lake Mills 200 011 4 -- 8 14 3
Lakeside 000 020 2 -- 4 7 1
Leading hitters -- LM: Radtke 2x5, Sellnow 3x4 (2B), Quest 3x4 (2B), Sherry 2x4, Kleinfeldt (2B), E. Wollin (2B), Doerr (2B); LL: Meis 2x4 (2B), Killmon (2B).
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) -- LM: Kleinfeldt W; 7-7-4-2-0-7, LL: Ki. Rank L; 7-14-8-7-1-15.
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