Five in row for Central

Westosha Central's softball team won their fifth straight conference title this week. Front from left: Elaine Andersen, Jenna Kontaxis, Sarai Roberts. Back from left: Rebecca Edwards, Olivia Klean, Kira Mickelson, Alyssa Hrncar, Kayla Konwent, Chy Onstad, Julia Jester, Carrie Weis, Kayla Kerkman. (Submitted/The Report).
Westosha Central’s softball team won their fifth straight conference title this week.
Front from left: Elaine Andersen, Jenna Kontaxis, Sarai Roberts.
Back from left: Rebecca Edwards, Olivia Klean, Kira Mickelson, Alyssa Hrncar, Kayla Konwent, Chy Onstad, Julia Jester, Carrie Weis, Kayla Kerkman. (Submitted/The Report).

By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer

When Westosha Central wrapped up its Southern Lakes Conference slate, they were assured at least a share of the championship, but a little help from a cross-town rival propelled the Lady Falcons to its fourth consecutive outright title.

The Lady Falcons, who honored four seniors Wednesday, pounded visiting Kenosha Bradford 16-1 at the same time Wilmot Union upset top-ranked Union Grove 3-0.

Subsequently, the Broncos loss to Wilmot was Westosha Central’s gain as they secured sole possession of the SLC.

Westosha Central co-coach Tom Lampe was not surprised, noting the Lady Falcons entered the week with two SLC games left, and for the Lady Panthers upset of Union Grove.

“I guess that’s why you play the game. You never know what is going to happen,” Lampe said. “We had a feeling that Wilmot would be gelling at the end of the year.”

The feeling came after Westosha Central escaped with a 3-2 win against the Lady Panthers a week earlier, where both teams were scoreless until the fifth inning, courtesy of the showdown between junior pitchers Alyssa Hrncar and Wilmot’s Sarah Hutchinson.

“They had a lot of turnover this season and it generally takes a little time to put it all together,” Lampe said. “They have a lot of talent and we knew Pat (Dopke) and his staff would get them playing solid ball.”

However, Lampe and his coaching staff told the Lady Falcons to stay on target, citing games against Elklhorn and Delavan-Darien.

“We just told the team to focus on what we could control (those two games) and see what happens from there,” said Lampe, whose team shutout Elkhorn 12-0 May 16 and Delavan-Darien 4-0 on consecutive nights before the non conference tilt against the Red Devils.

Against the Red Devils, Westosha Central batted around in back-to-back innings, plating seven in the first and six in the second after the Red Devils posted their only run in the top of the first.

The 12-run edge gave plenty of breathing room for Lady Falcons junior Olivia Klean, who threw five innings, allowed one earned run on five hits and showcased steady control with just two walks and two strikeouts.

Lampe credited Klean’s adjustment to the strike zone after the first inning.

Offensively, the Lady Falcons had three players knock in at least three runs, junior Kira Mickelson (3-4, two runs) along with seniors Elaine Andersen (4-4, double, two runs) and Julia Jester (1-3, walk, run).

In addition to Mickelson and Andersen, Westosha Central had three other players with multi-hit games, senior Chy Onstad (3-4, three runs, double, stolen base), sophomore Jenna Kontaxis (2-2, stolen base, two runs) and junior Carrie Weis (2-2, walk).

Westosha Central improved to 21-4 (13-1 SLC) after the win against Bradford.

Five in a row
Since 2011-12 when they shared the SLC with Wilmot and Union Grove, the Lady Falcons have rattled off four consecutive outright championships, a testament to both the players and community.

“We are very proud of our team. They have a dedication and attention to detail that makes them a tough opponent for any team to face. It would be very hard to maintain our success without that work ethic,” Lampe said. “We are blessed to have a great base of club teams in our area. We benefit from a large talent pool that many teams can only dream of having.”

Honoring the seniors
Four seniors were acknowledged in Wednesday’s game – Andersen, Jester, Konwent and Onstad – and have made an impact in different ways.

Andersen, a two-year second baseman, plans to attend Carroll University in Waukesha where she hopes to continue her softball career.
“She is the ultimate team player and we are excited that she plans to continue playing softball,” Lampe said.

Onstad is in her second year as a Lady Falcon and is attending the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
“She filled a key need for us; an offensive threat to protect Kayla and a top flight corner infielder. She may have been the missing piece that helped us win the title last season,” Lampe said.

Jester, noted for her stellar defense, brought four years experience.
“Julia is one of the best defensive outfielders we’ve ever had, and we’ve had a couple of all-state players,” Lampe said.

Konwent expects to attend UW-Madison and is cited for her growth as a leader.
“She has become quite a leader as well, both vocally and by example,” Lampe said. “We don’t think it’s a coincidence that he has been to the state championship game all three years.”


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