skip navigation

Oakfield claims its sixth softball state title, defeating Hurley in the Division 5 state championship game

06/29/2021, 12:30pm CDT
By Norbert Durst

The Oakfield softball team added another gold ball to its trophy case on Monday. 

The Oaks claimed its sixth state title, beating Hurley, 8-4, in the Division 5 state championship game at King Park in Green Bay. 

Oakfield trailed 3-0 heading into the bottom of the second inning before scoring two in the bottom half and then five more runs in the bottom of the third to take control of the game. 

The Oaks finished with 15 hits and had five players with at least two hits, including sophomore Taneal Tadman who collected a team-high three hits. 

Junior pitcher JJ Gremminger scattered 11 hits while allowing just three earned runs. She struck out two and walked none in the victory. 

At the plate, Gremminger went 2-for-4 with a run scored for head coach Kevin Knudson, who won his 300th career game earlier in the season. 

Additional players with multiple hits for the Oaks included junior Adi Moser, freshman Alyvia Robinson, and junior Sydney Newton. 

Oakfield finished the year with a 25-2 record. The Oaks were ranked No. 2 in the final WFSCA/WSN Coaches Poll of the season. 

Hurley and head coach Jim Kivisto got two hits each from juniors Gracie Maslanka, Haley Nyquist, Darian Bender, and senior Mackenzie Backman.

The NorthStars, which were ranked No. 9 in the final WFSCA/WSN Coaches Poll, end the year with a 24-6 record. 

Oakfield joins Stevens Point (9), Kimberly (7), and Marion (6) as teams with at least six state titles in softball state history. 

State Semifinals

Oakfield run-ruled Seneca in five innings to advance to the Division 5 state championship game. 

The Oaks erupted for eight runs in the bottom of the second to take a 10-0 lead, the score they would go on to win by. 

Oakfield allowed just one hit in the victory. Starting pitcher JJ Gremminger didn't allow a hit in four innings while striking out three. 

Adi Moser pitched the final inning, allowing one hit and striking out one. 

The Oaks' leading hitter was Alyssa Morell, who collected two hits, while Sydney Newton led the team with two RBIs. 

Seneca struggled in the field, finishing the game with six errors which resulted in 10 unearned runs for starting pitcher Philomena Hall. 

Oakfield, making its 15 state tournament appearance, advance to the state title game for the ninth time in program history. 

Hurley rallied past Pacelli in a D5 state semifinal to advance to the state title game for the third time in program history. 

The NorthStars were down 5-4 heading into the top of the seventh inning before scoring two runs on two hits with the go-ahead run scoring on one of Pacelli's four errors in the contest. 

Darian Bender earned the victory in the circle for the NorthStars, allowing five runs (four earned) on 11 hits while walking three in the win. 

Hurley got two hits each from Haley Nyquist and Lili Benedicto. Benedicto also collected a team-high two RBIs. 

Pacelli was led offensively by Sydney Gavin, Julia Storch, and Emma Van Order, who each finished with two hits. 

Hannah Trzinski took the loss for the Cardinals, allowing six runs (one earned) on seven hits while compiling six strikeouts. 

Tag(s): News Archive  News  Norbert Durst  Playoffs