Wapsie Valley softball finally advances to regional championship

FAIRBANK — “You deserve this.”

Wapsie Valley head coach Austin Jeanes looked at his team. He repeated it.

2023: South Winneshiek 5, Wapsie Valley 4. The visitors scored two in the sixth to tie, then one in the seventh.

“You deserve this.”

2024: Osage 4, Wapsie Valley 3. The Green Devils scored two in the top of the seventh and the host managed just one in the bottom half.

Saturday marked the third consecutive season Jeanes’ program hosted a Class 1A regional semifinal.

Ten runs scored during the first four innings helped beat Calamus-Wheatland, 10-5, and advance to the Class 1A Region 5 championship.

The win quelled memories of back-to-back regional semifinal losses and four consecutive years of going 1-1 in the playoffs dating back to 2021.

“It means we go ...” junior catcher Maya Barnes began, with senior centerfielder Peyton Curley interjecting, “Play Monday.”

“Yeah, we play Monday,” Barnes smiled. “If we play like this, we’ll be just fine.”

Four seniors — Curley, Natalie Gray, Jaylin May and Hailey Wehling — began celebrating as Sawyer Buhr collected the final groundball at shortstop and threw to Maddie Ladeburg at first base to end the game.

Juniors Taylor Buhr and Barnes — the team’s battery for the day and 20 of 32 games played — raced into each other’s arms as teammates yelled on their way to the pair in celebration.

“It’s been a curse (for two) years — this round,” Gray said of the regional semifinal home game.

Added Barnes: “We haven’t made it past this round. And we came out and we played today. That’s all we’ve got to do. We know how to play softball. We know what to do. Just got to do it.”

Wapsie Valley (28-4) did it for the 28th time this season but struggled early in a battle of Warriors.

Taylor Buhr walked Delaney Engler with two outs, then gave up a two-run home run to Haley Green for a 2-0 deficit in the top of the first inning. It was the first baseman’s eighth homer of the season, and Quinn Levien reached on error before Buhrinduced a lineout to Maddie Ladeburg to end the half inning.

It was the fourth time in Wapsie’s last six home games that Jeanes’ team allowed at least one run in the first inning, but the players seemed to shrug it off.

“You probably heard all of us come into the dugout, screaming positively,” Barnes said. “We knew we had it in the bag — I don’t know why I said that.”

Gray quickly interjected as Curley and Wehling smirked.

“You mean we knew not to let it, like, affect us mentally because we can comeback just as well,” Gray said, looking at her catcher.

“Yeah,” Barnes nodded. “We know who we are. Wapsie Valley softball is good on offense.”

The team sported a .375 batting average through its first 31 games and got to work on an eight-hit effort Saturday. Wapsie batted .308 (8 for 26), but utilized three walks, a hit batter, a fielder’s choice and an error to add runners.

“We’ve had a great offense all season,” Wehling said. “Knowing that we have (the offense), if we get down by a couple runs, it’s just so easy to keep ourselves up.”

It began with a walk.

Curley drew a walk off Engler, then Loal Destival reached on a fielder’s choice which saw Curley reach second. Taylor Buhr walked, and Espyn Decker cracked a two-run single to right for a tie game with no outs.

Wehling’s groundout plated Taylor (3-2) and put Decker on third. She was stranded, but the host had the lead.

Calamus-Wheatland tied it in the top of the third.

Katie Hein hit a one-out single, and Green drew a two-out walk. Levien’s hot shot to short was bobbled, scoring Hein.

The home team answered, immediately.

Decker tripled with two outs in the bottom half, and the dugout began shouting for a two-out rally. Teammates happily obliged.

Wehling walked and Ladeburg was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Sawyer Buhr’s hard crack to third was misplayed, scoring Decker (4-3) and keeping the bases loaded.

A wild pitch plated Barnes, who ran for Wehling, and moved Ladeburg and Buhr up a base.

Gray belted a two-run single up the middle and took second on the throw home (7-3).

Gray was called out after she called timeout and stepped off the base.

Wapsie added more runs in the fourth.

Sebetka singled to start the inning, then Curley reached on a single. They were sacrificed one base over, and Taylor Buhr ripped a two-run single (9-4).

She raced to third on a Decker single, then came home on Wehling’s groundout (10-4).

Wapsie generated seven of its eight hits and accumulated all its other baserunners in the first four frames. Taylor hit a two-out single in the sixth but was left there.

“We had a lot of good hits today,” Barnes said. “Everybody that comes up to bat. It could be the sixth, seventh batter and we still believe in them and trust in them and have full confidence that they will hit.”

Added Gray: “We know we can all hit well … We just trust ourselves.”

Flipping sides, Taylor settled in after Calamus-Wheatland’s first and third. She threw three spotless innings — the second, fourth and seventh — and was responsible for the visitor stranding four, with two in the third and two in the fifth.

Buhr struck out five and benefitted from three lineouts, clean outfield play and Barnes getting a tagout on dropped third strike and throwing out a baserunner trying to steal in the sixth.

Wapsie made four errors, with two leading to runs. One misplay would have been the third out of the third inning.

“We had good defense, and it always can be better,” Gray said. “A couple errors, nothing big. We’ll work on it and be stronger.”

Calamus-Wheatland got its final two runs in the top of the sixth on an error, single, sacrifice fly and single.

Barnes threw out a runner and Buhr struck out a batter to end the frame.

“I feel like our dugout was very positive and encouraging and very loud today,” Wehling said. “It always helps our offense and defense.”

At the game’s conclusion, Jeanes nodded toward an outfield packed with trucks and lined with spectators.

Saturday’s game was rained out Friday, then went through at least one time update before the 1 p.m. start time was official.

He reminded the players their overflow crowd — which saw chairs lining both sides of the backstop and most of the backstop bleachers filled — was something to be cherished.

“We’re definitely thankful for all the fans that were able to come out and support us, especially after the game was moved two, three different times,” Wehling laughed as teammates nodded.

“Mid-day, Saturday, to have this many people show up is big for us,” Curley said.

Noted Barnes: “People got off work to come out.”

“We want the fans to come out and support us (Monday),” the catcher added. “We’d love to have you here.”

Then, a bit of levity came.

Wapsie Valley is ranked higher than Don Bosco and hosted the regional championship. Having never reached the round, though, gave Gray pause.

“Do you know where it’s at?” she asked.

Barnes, Curley and Wehling, in order, said “Here.”

Gray: “Oh, yeah.”

Decker went 3 for 4 with the triple and was one of four to drive in two runs. Taylor Buhr, Gray and Wehling were the others, Sawyer drove in one.

Taylor and Curley each scored twice.

“This game was a lot of fun to play in,” Barnes said. “A lot of fans came out and watched us. Our fans our great. They really get into the game; they keep us up even when we’re down. It’s really nice to see them all come here.”