Thorp sinks Weyauwega-Fremont with walk-off hit in state softball semifinal

MADISON - Hailey Zurakowski's walk-off single gave the Thorp softball team a dramatic 5-4 victory over Weyauwega-Fremont in a WIAA Division 4 state semifinal Thursday night at Goodman Diamond.

Zurakowski belted a hit to left field to score Kasey Moskiewicz and send Thorp to Saturday's championship game against either Pacelli or Horicon. 

The late-night game wasn't pretty from a defensive standpoint as Weyauwega-Fremont and Thorp combined for seven errors, with Thorp committing five.

But the stat that may have proved most critical was the 11 runners stranded on base by Weyauwega-Fremont, a number that left coach Todd Breuer looking for answers.

"I don't know how many times we left the bases loaded," Breuer said. "We just weren't able to push the runners across the plate."

Thorp took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Elektra Zurakowski scored on a passed ball. 

Weyauwega-Fremont left two runners on in the second and had the bases loaded in the third with no outs, only to watch as Thorp starting pitcher Kaitlyn Tyznik pitched her way out of the jam, getting a pair of flyouts and a strikeout to keep the score 1-0. 

The Indians scored two runs in the fourth on a two-run single from Cadyn Ehrenberg. Weyauwega-Fremont added single runs in the fifth when Ashley Johnson scored on a wild pitch and in the sixth when Ehrenberg scored on an error.

With the game tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh, Thorp mounted the game-winning rally with one out. Moskiewicz reached on an error and advanced to third on a single from Elektra Zurakowski. Raleigh Frankewicz was intentionally walked to load the bases and give the defense a force-out situation. Hailey Zurakowski then came through with the RBI, walk-off single.

Thorp coach Kurt Rhyner said his program's principles are about staying focused and battling.

"It's all about the next play," he said. "We're going to make mistakes, especially coming down here  you got good teams and you're going to give up some hits. It's all about the next play.

"With the errors, we were able to turn the page and move on and keep battling."

The loss ended the high school careers of Weyauwega-Fremont seniors Alexa Greening, Ehrenberg, Kiley Akey and Kati Kettleson.

"We just came up short," Breuer said. "You can't feel bad about that. And you can't feel bad about losing by one run to a very good team like Thorp. That's part of the game.

"I know the seniors especially took it hard, and they should because they put so much time into it and they meant so much for this program, but we can't let one game define their career and this game isn't going to define who they are. Everyone knows what they accomplished and the kind of kids they are."

Ehrenberg said the team showed its tenacity in rallying to beat Manitowoc Lutheran in the sectional final to advance to Madison and reach the state tournament for the second consecutive season. 

"It just shows our determination, honestly, and to not give up and to be tenacious athletes," she said. "Because everybody saw with Manitowoc Lutheran, that game we were down and we were determined to win and determined to get down here again. That's just how we are. We never give up."

Weyauwega-Fremont  000  211  0 -  4  6  2 

Thorp   100  210  1  -  5  7  5

WP: Kaitlyn Tyznik (7 IP, 10 K). LP: Cadyn Ehrenberg (6.1 IP, 10 K). Leading hitters: Ehrenberg W-F 2x3, 2B, 2 RBI; Ashley Johnson W-F 2x4; Elektra Zurakowski T 2x2, 2 runs; Brooklyn Anderson T 2 RBI.