Hudson may have swept River Falls in this year’s regular season series, but the Wildcats got the last laugh in the Division 1 regional semifinal on Tuesday evening. 

The ninth-seeded Wildcats went on the road and faced the rival eighth-seeded Raiders for the right to play in a regional title game against No. 2-ranked Superior two days later on Thursday, May 25.

River Falls trailed Hudson early, then regained the lead just to have it stripped again later in the contest. The Wildcats overcame adversity, battled back and scored a late run that ultimately culminated in a 6-5 victory, which marked the program’s first playoff win in nine years.

River Falls first-year head coach Matt Smith always knew the postseason game at Hudson would be an arduous test. He said the difference between leaving the Raiders’ ballpark with tears of joy instead of sorrow was his girls’ grit, resilience and response to adversity.

“It was our perseverance, grit and being able to handle adversity for seven innings,” Smith said. “We needed to put pressure on (Hudson), and I think we did that. We had some clutch plays, big hits, executed on defense and our girls made it happen. Program wide, that’s a big win for us.”

The 6-5 victory against Hudson snapped one of River Falls’ longstanding streaks: a nine-year winless drought in the postseason. Before Tuesday’s game against the Raiders, the Wildcats’ last playoff victory was a 9-8 win on the road against Menomonie in the spring of 2014.

Coach Smith and the Wildcats snapped the nine-year drought in large part because of senior pitcher Ali Laube, who has been River Falls’ go-to girl in the biggest games this year.

Laube pitched beyond exhaustion in the regional semifinal because she knew that her high school softball career – and the Wildcats’ season – was riding on her performance. When she retired Hudson’s final batter in the bottom of the seventh, she had thrown 121 pitches, surrendered five runs, struck out six and won their biggest playoff game in nearly a decade.

“This is probably my favorite softball memory,” Laube said after the win. “It was awesome, especially for the seniors. We’ve had some younger players that have stepped up this year, but I think this (success) has been building for three years. Coach Smith has been super supportive in helping us believe that we can do it. There has been a big culture change.”

Culture has been a buzzword in sports throughout the last decade, but no question winning breeds winning and losing spawns more losing. No Wildcat pitcher has produced more wins in recent years than Laube.

For Coach Smith, there was no player he would have rather had on the mound against Hudson than Laube. He spoke about her grind-it-out style performance in the instant classic win against Hudson on Tuesday evening.

“She trusted our defense and had a few huge strikeouts,” Smith said. “She let them put the ball in play and didn’t give them free passes. She trusted that the girls were going to make plays behind her, and that’s true confidence in your team.”

While Laube played an integral role in the big win, the bats in the lineup certainly did too. River Falls sprayed the ball around the park as seven different batters combined to produce 11 hits on Tuesday night.

The Wildcats trailed 1-0 going to the top of the third inning. After a strikeout began the frame, River Falls junior Lilly Burke ripped a single down the third-base line. The ensuing batter, junior Jordan Torrez, gave the Wildcats a 2-1 lead when she clobbered a two-run home run to straightaway center field.

Hudson scored a pair in the bottom of the third to take a 3-2 lead. River Falls responded with a two-run fourth frame that included a Burke RBI single to right field and another Torrez RBI that gave River Falls a 4-3 advantage.

Both teams traded scores until it was deadlocked 6-6 going into the top of the seventh inning. Freshman Morgan Kivel got the action started with a two-out single which brought Laube to the plate. Laube blasted a single down the right-field line which put runners on the first and third.

That’s when Smith called the ole double steal play, which baited Hudson’s catcher into a throw to second base. That’s when senior Star Deiss, who pinch-ran for Kivel, bolted for home and scored the go-ahead run to make it a 6-5 game favoring River Falls.

“Star Deiss came in to pinch run and went first to third on a single to the outfield,” Smith said. “Then she was great on the double steal. We had some big hits, we executed and I’m very proud of the girls. They made it happen tonight and our coaching staff had them ready to go.”

As soon as Laube retired Hudson’s final batter in the seventh inning, the Wildcats dogpiled her in celebration. They laughed and even had tears of joy, not only because they had just defeated a bitter rival, but because they washed away nearly a decade’s worth of postseason heartbreak.

“It was awesome, especially being a senior playing against Hudson,” Laube said. “This team is really close and there is no drama – everybody is best friends. I think it helps us play better too because we all trust each other.”

River Falls’ postseason ended two days later in the regional title game on the road against undefeated No. 2-ranked Superior. The Spartans scored in each of the five innings and sent River Falls home with an 11-0 defeat.

River Falls’ 16 wins this season are the program’s most since the spring of 1981. Regardless of which direction the program goes after this year, there’s no question it’s one of the most memorable seasons in River Falls history.