SOFTBALL

Tomahawk softball began the season with five straight losses but will finish at state

Tim Johnson
Wausau Daily Herald
Tomahawk senior Rachel Dallman takes some bunting practice during practice Wednesday afternoon.

TOMAHAWK – It would be easy to dismiss Tomahawk’s chances for a state softball championship this weekend based on the team’s record.

But that 15-7 mark is a misleading stat.

The Hatchets opened the season with five straight losses. The first game during a weekend tournament in Monroe was the initial time the team was on a field with the inclement weather at the start of spring.

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Tomahawk responded to the early skid with eight straight wins. It found its stride in that stretch and hasn’t slowed down since with just a pair of one-run losses in its past 17 games. It’s a run that has included the team’s first WIAA state tournament appearance since 1983.

“The start of our season was deceiving,” Tomahawk coach John Larson said. “I felt that of those five losses, three of them were extremely good softball games. We lost a doubleheader to Mosinee and that next practice (the coaches) told the girls, ‘This has not stopped us from getting to where we want to be. We’re 0-5 but that doesn’t change our goal to win state. Now let’s go out and do that.’ From that point forward, we had some success and a nice winning streak and just continued to build on that success.”

The Hatchets, who finished second in the Great Northern Conference, are riding a five-game winning streak, face Prescott in a state semifinal matchup Friday at Goodman Diamond in Madison and could be considered the dark horse in the four-team Division 3 field.

Poynette (22-1) was ranked first in the final Division 3 poll of the year, while Prescott (22-3) was sixth. Westfield, like Tomahawk, was not ranked, but the Pioneers carry an 18-0 record into the tournament.

The Division 3 championship game is scheduled for approximately 1 p.m. Saturday. 

“I don’t think a lot of people have heard of us,” Tomahawk senior Rachel Dallman said. “Poynette is a team that has been on top for quite a while now and a lot of people expected them to be (at state). But around the state, I don’t think a lot of people expected us to be here. We just kept believing.

Dallman is a reason Tomahawk believes it has a chance this weekend. The senior has thrown two perfect games in the postseason and has 40 strikeouts and one walk in the four contests. Dallman, who has a 2.06 ERA for the season, has allowed six hits in the playoffs.

Dallman throws four pitches — a rise ball, curve, fastball and change-up — and has had spot-on location during Tomahawk’s postseason run.

"Our defense is strong but Rachel does her job out there. She pretty much blows everyone down," Tomahawk senior infielder Courtney Theiler said. "It seems rare that we have to play defense (behind her) but when we do, we make the plays."

Theiler, who has a team-high .474 batting average, executed a squeeze bunt in the top of the 10th inning to score the decisive run in a 3-2 win over Oconto in a sectional semifinal. 

"(Before the play) Oconto called time and I waved my first base coach and Courtney over and asked, 'Are we going to do (the squeeze) here?' We had talked about doing it the game before. Some people in the stands might have been thinking we were nuts but it's one of those calls that we made and it was (executed) textbook."

Tomahawk trailed 2-0 after the first inning in that game and it was a defining moment in what has been a magical postseason run. 

And Tomahawk plans on it lasting two more games. 

"Going in we know that we can play with any team," said junior catcher Katy Volz. "We took down a lot of really good teams to get to this point and that definitely has givien a huge boost to our confidence. We are not going in overconfident because all the teams there are obviously very good. But we know if we play our game, we can compete with anyone."

WIAA state softball

DIVISION 3 SEMIFINAL

Tomahawk (15-7) vs. Prescott (22-3)

When: 10 a.m., Friday

Where: Goodman Diamond, Madison

Tickets: $8 for each session. $15 for all day.