The Prescott Cardinals advanced to their third consecutive WIAA Division 3 State Softball Tournament, held last Tuesday at UW-Green Bay.

The Cardinals won a thrilling opening game, 1-0, over Peshtigo, but ended up bringing home the silver, as they fell to Dodgeville in a closely-contested state championship game, 5-3. Prescott players accepted the runner-up trophy, and head coach Nick Johnson personally congratulated each on their achievement as he handed them their medals.

A huge Prescott contingent of fans made the trip from the west end of the state to the east end for the tournament. They had a lot to celebrate in game one.

Who would have thought that the run Prescott manufactured in the first inning would be the only one of the contest?

Sydney Matzek started things off with a single up the middle on a 1-2 pitch. Ariana Temmers bunted her to second, and Grace Franco had the biggest hit of the game. She tripled to right field, and the Cardinals fans erupted when Matzek crossed home plate.

From that point on, it was a pitching duel, and Prescott’s gem Taylor Graf had the edge. She was – again – dominant. She struck out a pair in the Peshtigo second, third, fifth and seventh innings and finished with a total of 10 strike outs and no walks.

With fans from both teams on the edge of their seats in the Peshtigo seventh, Liz Rohl, at third base, caught a line-drive to end the game and start a mini-celebration, as there was more work to do.

Top-seeded Dodgeville earned the opportunity to take on second-seeded Prescott in the title game by virtue of its 10-4 win over Lomira in its semifinal game. The championship match-up was delayed an hour because of thunderstorms