A remarkable milestone was achieved by
Kaukauna (Wis.), which checks in at No. 8 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school softball rankings.
Kaukauna celebrated its 100th consecutive win last week after an 11-1 victory over rival Kimberly on Friday. The streak is the third-longest in high school softball history with
Vandebilt Catholic (Houma, La.) holding the record of 112 between 1980-83.
The Galloping Ghosts almost saw their incredible run of success come to an end last Thursday. Reigning MaxPreps Wisconsin Player of the Year
Karly Meredith struck out 22 and
Maddie Deering came up clutch in the 10th inning, driving in the lone run in a 1-0 win over Neenah.
Elsewhere, Arizona's 6A state championship was decided Monday night as
Xavier College Prep (Phoenix) held on to win its third title in four years and earn a spot in this week's rankings. Junior catcher
Riley McKeever drove in three runs and freshman pitcher
Angie Falls held off a Queen Creek team who loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh trailing by one. The Gators prevailed 3-2 after
Lauren Putz caught the final out of the game in centerfield.
In California, two of the nation's best will meet in the Southern Section Division 1 championship Saturday. No. 6
Orange Lutheran (Orange) and No. 11
Pacifica (Garden Grove) will square off for the third time this season. Pacifica won the first game 3-0 while Orange Lutheran won the second game 5-1. Both teams feature elite pitchers in Long Beach State commit
Brynne Nally and Notre Dame signee
Brianne Weiss.
Xavier College Prep won 11 of its last 12 games en route to Arizona's 6A state title. (Photo: Steve Paynter)
37-1-1 |
Last week: 1
The Tigers rolled through the regional quarterfinals with an 8-0 win over Cinco Ranch.
Cameryn Harrison struck out 11 and
Ella-Kate Smith went deep in the win.
2. Saint Francis (Mountain View, Calif.) Record: 25-0 |
Last week: 2
Capped a perfect season with a 3-0 win over St. Ignatius College Prep on Friday. Seniors
Kate Munnerlyn and
Shannon Keighran combined to strikeout 17 in the win.
3. Northwest Rankin (Brandon, Miss.)Record: 32-0 |
Last week: 3
Punched a ticket to the Class 7A state championship series after beating Ocean Springs 11-2 and 18-2 in the semis.
Reese Collier hit two bombs and drove in six in game two.
4. Orange Beach (Ala.)Record: 44-1 | Last week: 4
Advanced to the Class 4A state championship Tuesday. The Makos will have to be beat twice.
Falyn Beebe hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth to knock off Cherokee County 7-6.
28-0 |
Last week: 5
It took the Bulldogs only three innings to get past Dwyer after scoring 12 in the first inning.
Rylie Mecchella drove in four runs and
Jasmine Francik did not allow a hit in the circle.
6. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)Record: 21-3 |
Last week: 6
Zoelle Gummeson went yard and
Kai Minor had big days at the plate during a 13-1 win over Murrieta Mesa.
7. Pace (Fla.)Record: 24-2 |
Last week: 7
The Patriots exploded for 12 runs behind the bats of
Shelby McKenzie and
Mallory Baker. McKenzie hit two home runs and had five RBI while Baker tacked on another bomb during the Class 6A regional quarterfinal win over Oviedo.
8. Kaukauna (Wis.)Record: 20-0 |
Last week: 8
Chloe Herzfeldt had three hits and three RBI as the Ghosts smoked Kimberly 11-1 on Friday.
9. Bartow (Fla.)Record: 27-1 |
Last week: 9
The Yellow Jackets only needed five innings to advance after a 10-0 win over East River.
Katelynn Oxley hit two home runs and stuck out 10 on the rubber.
10. Summerville (S.C.)Record: 27-0 |
Last week: 10
Ansley Bennett hit a two-run blast to help the Wave beat Chapin on Monday night.
11. Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.) Record: 26-2 |
Last week: 11
Brynne Nally went the distance in the circle during a 1-0 win over JSerra Catholic, striking out eight and allowing just three hits.
12. Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.) Record: 25-1 |
Last week: 12
The Firebirds took down Lourdes Academy 17-0 in three innings to open up Class 6A tournament play.
Anabela Abdullah had a monster day at the plate, driving in five runs after going deep and hitting a triple.
13. Watkins Memorial (Pataskala, Ohio)Record: 26-1 |
Last week: 13
Carsyn Cassady tossed a no-hitter, striking out 14, as the Warriors blanked Thomas Worthington 10-0 on Thursday.
14. Bloomingdale (Valrico, Fla.)Record: 24-1 |
Last week: 14
Natalie Cable tossed a gem of a game Thursday as she mowed down 17 batters during a 4-1 playoff win over Gaither (Tampa).
15. Guyer (Denton, Texas)Record: 33-2 |
Last week: 15
Kaylynn Jones went deep during a 7-2 win over Marcus. Next up is Southlake Carroll in the Class 6A regional semifinals.
16. Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.)Record: 37-6 |
Last week: 18
The Huskies earned a spot in the Class 7A state championship series beginning Tuesday. They will have to be beaten twice as they made their way through the winners bracket, which included a big 5-4 win over Hoover on Monday.
17. Lake Central (St. John, Ind.)Record: 27-0 |
Last week: 17
Senior
Jolie Adams did not allow a hit and struck out nine during a 10-0 win over Merrillville on Wednesday.
Record: 28-4-1 | Last week: NR
Michigan commit Lauren Putz ended her remarkable career with 18 home runs and a .636 batting average.
19. Skyview (Vancouver, Wash.)Record: 18-0-1 |
Last week: 19
Lainey Phillips had several big at bats, including a sixth-inning jack to help beat Union (Vancouver) 4-3 to close out the regular season.
20. Calvary Baptist Academy (Shreveport, La.)Record: 35-2 |
Last week: 20
Season complete. Division III Select state champion.
21. Melissa (Texas)Record: 32-2-1 |
Last week: 21
The Cardinals scored three in the first and held on to beat Kingwood Park 3-2 to advance to the Class 5A regional semifinals.
22. Austintown-Fitch (Youngstown, Ohio)Record: 18-1 |
Last week: 22
The Falcons have scored 10 or more runs 14 times this season and have outscored their opponents 218-11.
23. Carterville (Ill.)Record: 31-1 |
Last week: 23
Sophomore
Taryn Ford struck out 17 and allowed just one hit as the Lions closed out the regular season with a 6-0 win over Mt. Vernon.
24. Woodgrove (Purcellville, Va.)Record: 17-0 |
Last week: 24
Virginia Dowell and
Erynn Thompson hit bombs and combined to drive in eight runs in a 12-1 victory over John Champe (Aldie) on Thursday.
25. Silverdale Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.)Record: 44-3 |
Last week: 25
Airebis Cox,
Avery Danz, and
Ella Cunningham all went yard as the Seahawks move on in the postseason after a 7-1 win over Grace Christian Academy (Knoxville).
On the bubble: Liberty (Texas), 35-2;
Hoover (Ala.), 37-9-1;
Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu, Texas), 33-4-2;
Ridgeline (Millville, Utah), 25-1;
Douglas (Minden, Nev.), 30-4
