New London gets win over Freedom at Winneconne Invite in Division 2 state softball title game rematch

WINNECONNE − Saturday's nonconference game between the New London and Freedom softball teams was more than a rematch of last season's WIAA Division 2 state championship game.

It was also an opportunity for the Bulldogs to vanquish what had been an Irish bugaboo the past several seasons.

The Bulldogs held off Freedom 5-4 to finish 3-0 at the Winneconne Invite. Scarlett Rathje was 3-for-3, Jensen Mix was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Shelby Glodowski had a two-run double to lead the offense, with Kenna Mix getting the win with a pair of strikeouts in seven innings.

"This means a lot, obviously," Kenna Mix said of the win. "And the bottom of the seventh inning it was a little nerve-wracking, but I had confidence in the defense to make the plays and we did just that and we came out on top."

New London (14-2) ended its six-game losing streak to the Irish, with the Bulldogs' last victory in 2017. That includes an 0-3 mark in the postseason, including a Division 2 state semifinal loss in 2022 and last year's loss in the D2 championship game.

“Our athletic director does a great job of making sure we have really good competition," New London coach Melinda Hull said. "I always give him a list of teams every year and I’m like, ‘Hey, let’s make our nonconference schedule as tough as we can.’ And that only helps us in the long run."

While New London has four seniors − Kenna and Jensen Mix, Glodowski and Sophia Hull-Riggs − it also features several freshmen and sophomores in the lineup.

"These girls are making small, minor errors yet," Hull said. "But they're learning and that's the great part about it. It's like, 'OK, these are the little things that we're doing wrong and we can improve on it.' But we're not out of these ballgames by any means and these girls are coming in and improving every day in practice and there's more and more trust with each other."

Said Kenna Mix of the freshmen: "They came in and have done well so far. I have trust there and have had to gain trust in them. They've done so good."

Freedom, the two-time defending Division 2 state champion, has one senior (Isabelle Day) and is also playing plenty of underclassmen with four freshmen on the roster.

The lineup is typically junior heavy, with Marlee Smith, Sarriah Doxtator, Kaia McVay, Carrington Klug and Kailey Stordeau on the card against New London. Stordeau took the loss with the team's ace Peyton VandeLoo getting wins against Winneconne and Appleton North earlier in the day.

Freedom head coach Tim Dietzen believes his team hasn't reached its zenith yet.

"We have four freshmen and today we had three sophomores in the lineup," Freedom head coach Tim Dietzen said. "We still haven't had that 'come together' moment. This one (against New London) could have been the one that was the big jumpstart for us, but we're just not hitting on all cylinders yet. We're trying to put it together."

The two teams are in different sectionals again this season and could very well find themselves in another matchup at Goodman Diamond in Madison at the state tournament.

"Playing Freedom, two towns that are so close to each other but such good talent," Hull said. "And these are the kind of games you want to compete in – the energy, the pressure situations and sometimes it comes down to a hit or a few inches that way or this way.”

Dietzen agreed.

"There's such good softball in the (Fox) Valley," he said. "That's what really helps us. We can go nonconference and come to these kinds of tournaments and face good teams, and that only makes us better."

Granatelli named Appleton North wrestling coach

Former assistant Appleton North wrestling coach David Granatelli will take over the Lightning's head coaching position.

The school announced the hire on May 1 on its 'X' (formerly Twitter) account. Granatelli has been an assistant coach since 2018 under longtime North head coach Scott Clough, who announced his retirement last month.

Granatelli is a 2013 North graduate, was a two-time WIAA state qualifier and was named the Lightning's wrestler of the year twice. He was also a member of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point wrestling team and a 2018 graduate. He's an elementary physical education teacher in the district.

Hansford commits to Iowa State

Former Appleton East standout Lily Hansford announced she is heading to Iowa State to continue her collegiate basketball career.

The 6-foot-2 Hansford entered the transfer portal on April 19. She helped lead Oregon State to the Elite 8 as a sophomore. She played in 34 games for the Beavers and averaged 5.1 points. She shot 44% from beyond the 3-point arc (48-of-106).

Hansford is a 2022 Appleton East graduate. She averaged 12.4 points her senior year and was a first-team all-Fox Valley Association selection and an honorable-mention selection on the Associated Press and WBCA all-state teams. She finished with 1,216 career points.

Area softball, baseball and girls soccer rankings

Here is the fifth edition of the softball, baseball and girls soccer rankings for the Appleton area. Records are through this past weekend's games.

SOFTBALL

1, Kaukauna (16-0): Top-ranked Ghosts continue to annihilate their competition as winning streak hits 97. Ghosts have allowed five runs over the past 15 games. Team has games this week vs. Oshkosh West on Tuesday, at Neenah on Thursday and vs. Kimberly on Friday.

2, New London (14-2): Bulldogs ranked No. 2 in latest Division 2 rankings by Wisconsin Fastpitch Coaches Association/wissports.net. Team had big 5-4 win over Freedom on Saturday.

3, Freedom (15-4): Irish hold steady at No. 3 in the rankings. Saturday's loss to New London snapped a seven-game winning streak.

4, Hortonville (11-7): Polar Bears bounce back from tough 2-0 loss to Kaukauna on Thursday with 5-0 victory over Neenah on Friday.

5, Fox Valley Lutheran (12-6): Foxes fight their way into top-five with 4-3 victory over Seymour on Saturday. Freshman pitcher Madison Babcock is an up-and-coming ace.

Also: Seymour (12-7), Kimberly (9-7), Neenah (7-6), Chilton (8-5), Manawa (11-5), Menasha (12-6), Winneconne (10-8).

BASEBALL

1, Kimberly (12-1): Papermakers bounce back from first loss of season with wins over Hortonville and Neenah in Fox Valley Association play. Team has key game against Appleton North on Thursday with FVA title implications.

2, Appleton North (12-2): Lightning on 10-game winning streak and have tough 1-2 pitching combination with junior Matt Hietpas (4-0, 1.17 ERA, 26 strikeouts) and senior Ethan Wick (3-1, 1.24 ERA, 17 strikeouts).

3, Shiocton (8-1): Chiefs tied atop Central Wisconsin-East with Bonduel and face the Bears on Thursday at home.

4, Little Chute (12-2): Mustangs' winning streak hits 10 and team's lone defeats are 6-3 losses to Denmark and Fox Valley Lutheran. Team leads North Eastern Conference with 11-2 record with five league games remaining.

5, Neenah (9-5): Rockets drop a spot after loss to Kimberly on Friday but team has won eight of its last 10 games.

Also: Menasha (10-2), Brillion (12-3), Wrightstown (10-5), Kaukauna (9-6), Chilton (11-6), Freedom (7-5), Fox Valley Lutheran (9-7).

GIRLS SOCCER

1, Kimberly (12-1-0): Papermakers ranked fourth in Division 1 by Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association and are on 11-game winning streak. Team has allowed three goals all season. Senior Lauren Heckert has 27 saves.

2, Appleton East (9-1-1): Patriots suffer first loss of season, losing 4-1 to top-ranked Arrowhead on Saturday. Team is tied atop the Fox Valley Association with Kimberly with 4-0 record.

3, Appleton North (5-2-1): Lightning beat Kaukauna 5-1 last week and has showdown with Appleton East on Thursday.

4, St. Mary Catholic (6-2-2): Junior midfielder Audrey Wanless has nine goals and 10 assists this season. SMC has big matchup with Big East-leading Cedar Grove-Belgium on Tuesday.

5, Winneconne (8-2-0): Wolves make way into top-five for first time this season. Senior forward Ava Pahl leads the team in goals with eight.

Also: Freedom (5-1-3), Seymour (7-3-3), Wrightstown (4-4-2), Neenah (4-4-1), Menasha (6-3-2), Appleton West (5-4-1), Xavier (5-3-5).

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: New London, Freedom softball teams on track for state rematch