Lions Win First State Softball Championship in Program History

LOMIRA – On June 13, Lomira softball beat Lodi 5-0 to win the Division Three Softball State Championship for the first time in program history by outscoring their opponents 50-0 in their six tournament games.
Lodi (21-8) had their biggest scoring threat of the game in the first inning when their first two hitters got hits, placing them at third and second base with no outs.
Lomira’s (27-3) star pitcher Haleigh Caspary and her stellar defense behind her responded by getting the next three batters, resulting in no runs for the Blue Devils.
Izzy Westphal hit a double over the center fielder’s head with two outs, setting up the Lions’ cleanup hitter, Lily Christian, to blast a double to the base of the wall in center, driving in Westphal, giving Lomira the 1-0 lead after one inning of play.

Caspary struck out two Lodi batters in the second inning to take control of the game from the mound for the Lions.
Lomira loaded the bases highlighted by an Addy Behnke single in the second inning, but the Lions weren’t able to score a run with the bases loaded opportunity.
Christian led off the third inning with a perfectly placed single over the shortstop’s head, and Caspary drew a walk to give the Lions two runs with no runs.
Eleanor Collies hit a two-run RBI single to right field to drive in Christian and Ryley Warner to increase the Lomira lead to 3-0.
Trista Gassner started the fourth inning by slapping a single to left field, and Gassner came around to score on a throwing error by the Devils, pushing the Lions’ lead to 4-0.
Lomira scored another run when Westphal hit a Sac Fly, driving in Kennedy Goebel to give the Lions a commanding 5-0 lead, as Caspary was controlling the game from the pitching mound.
Caspary allowed only two more Blue Devils runners over the final three innings, and the Lions’ lead was never threatened.
The Lions entered the top of the seventh inning with a 5-0 lead and three outs away from a championship.
The Blue Devils’ first batter in the seventh inning popped up to Goebel at second base with a running catch for the first out.
Caspary struck out the second batter on three straight pitches for the second out of the inning.
Goebel fielded a grounder and threw the ball to Christian at first base to secure the final out and state championship for the Lions with a 5-0 win, causing a Lomira celebration on the field and in the stands at Goodman Field.
Haleigh Caspary led the way in the pitching circle with her sixth straight postseason shutout by striking out five batters in the title game.
Lily Christian, Izzy Westphal, and Eleanor Collies combined to drive in four of the five runs for the Lions in the championship win.
“Winning the first state championship in program history for Lomira softball is so special to the girls who are a part of this team and me because it shows how hard we worked after losing three key players last season, who had very big roles to fill,” said Lomira Senior Shortstop Trista Gassner. “We were a true family on and off the diamond through the entire season and supported each other through it all. To us, as Lions, it’s always more about being a good person than how good a player you are, and that is exactly why we were able to win the State Title.”
“Every single one of us bought in and had the grit and determination to be better for the team, but we couldn’t have done any of this without our four coaches (Stacey Clark, Jess Gassner, Jason Buerger, and Lauren Beekman), who pushed us to be better people and athletes,” said Trista Gassner. “It was something about this team that felt like no other to me. We learned and kept growing using our F.I.R.E to make us excel as a team.”
“I think it’s a great achievement for the program; we couldn’t have done it without our team, coaches, and community,” said Lomira Senior Pitcher Haleigh Caspary. “The journey was amazing, full of smiles and memories, and it was a great feeling knowing all the work we put in was all worth it in the end.”
“My thoughts about winning state are that it is historic, and it is surreal to be a part of this opportunity because there was hard work and dedication from everyone, and it paid off,” said Lomira Sophomore First Baseman/Pitcher Lily Christian. “Being at State for basketball this year was stellar, but winning it all is on a new level and shows how hard work pays off.”
“It’s a dream come true! I have always imagined winning a state championship, though with it truly happening and it being this team to make history is the greatest achievement I think we could all ask for,” said Lomira Sophomore Catcher Izzy Westphal. “The journey was so enjoyable, from just thinking it was a distant dream to being reality, the experience was truly something with all the memories made and the laughs, I couldn’t have asked for a better team to do this with.”
“My thoughts on winning the first state championship in program history are just wow,” said Lomira Second Baseman Kennedy Goebel. “Wow, because we knew that we would have the potential to make this come true, and we did, and it honestly feels amazing to know that we completed something that we wanted to do.”
“My heart is so full right now with how proud I am of this team, with the team being the whole package from our senior leadership all the way to our freshmen,” said Lomira Assistant Coach Jess Gassner. “These girls and teams like ours are the reason why we coach.”
“The journey to be state champions is not as easy as some might see because the preparation is not just in the year of practice, even though those instances help,” said Christian. “ It is the hard work and perseverance in the off-season and in prior seasons, and the willingness to change, for softball is a game of failure, and to succeed, you need to be mentally strong as a team and as a person. That’s how you become a state championship team.”
“On our journey to the state, we had to battle, fight, and earn every game that we played,” said Goebel. “During the game, we were constantly reminded that we were not alone; it was always 18 on 1. I think that the mentality of 18 on 1 is what helped us the most on our journey to becoming state champs.”
“We ended up allowing no runs the entirety of the playoffs and outscoring our opponents 50-0,” said Trista Gassner. “That shows true Lomira softball with everyone fighting hard, and we still weren’t done until we got that gold ball!”
“I am so incredibly grateful to be a part of this team and this journey because I feel so blessed to get to work with these athletes and this coaching staff every day,” said Lomira Head Coach Stacey Clark. “I am proud of the team we built, the fight, integrity, and resilience of the players, which they earned through hard work and trust in each other.”
“This team has brought together everything that we have been working towards with so many players and coaches who kept growing and building each year, continuing to set high expectations,” said Clark. “ Each year we worked on checking off more goals and getting stronger together with the commitment of all those who have been a part of Lomira Softball throughout my time here (and before me), plus I am so grateful to the community for all of their support.”
“This team truly embraced the idea that they could do anything together - all 18 of us together, and we have that bond, the game becomes so fun,” said Clark, “You can play for free because you know everyone believes in you, and everyone is working hard for each other.”
“The team checked off all of their goals and had a blast doing it together,” said Clark. “That is quite a legacy.”
State Semifinal vs Spooner
On June 12, Lomira softball defeated Spooner 10-0 in five innings behind a dominating pitching performance from Senior Haleigh Caspary to advance to the State Championship Game.
Lomira’s (27-3) Haleigh Caspary struck out the first six batters she faced in the state semifinal against fourth-seeded Spooner (23-2).
Caspary got the Lions offense going with a leadoff single in the second inning, followed by a Brianna Frea single to put the pressure on Spooner’s defense.
Spooner wasn’t up to task, allowing three runs without Lomira getting another hit in the inning, featuring runs scored by Ryley Warner, Frea, and Addy Behnke to give the Lions a 3-0 lead.
The Lions got another run in the third inning when Izzy Westphal scored on Lily Christian’s RBI to increase their lead to 4-0 over the Rails.
Behnke and Thomas hit singles with one out in the fourth inning before Kennedy Goebel hit an RBI single, driving in Behnke to expand the Lomira lead to 5-0.
Caspary allowed her only hit of the game in the top of the fifth inning, setting up the opportunity for the Lions to finish the game in five innings.
Christian hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the inning, and Caspary hit an RBI single to right field to get the Lions offense off and running with a 6-0 lead.
Eleanor Collies laced a double to center with one out to further the Lions’ lead to 7-0 before Lomira closed the door by adding three final runs by Collies, Behnke and Thomas to secure the impressive 10-0 state semifinal win.
Haleigh Caspary’s stellar pitching performance, striking out 14 of the 15 batters she faced in the game, advanced the Lions to their first state championship game appearance in program history.
Tori Thomas and Caspary led the way with four combined hits to pace the Lions’ offense in the state semifinal victory.
Game Summary
Saturday, June 13
WIAA Tournament-State Championship
#1 Lomira 5
#3 Lodi 0
Final
Pitching: Haleigh Caspary (W) 7IP, 0R, 5H, 2BB, 5K
Leading Hitters: Lily Christian 2H, 2B, RBI, R. Izzy Westphal 2B, RBI, R. Trista Gassner 2H, R. Eleanor Collies H, 2RBI. Kennedy Goebel R. Ryley Warner R. Addy Behnke H. Tori Thomas H
Friday, June 12
WIAA Tournament-State Semifinal
#1 Lomira 10
#4 Spooner 0
Final
Pitching: Haleigh Caspary (W) 5IP, 0R, 1H, 0BB, 14K
Leading Hitters: Eleanor Collies 2B, RBI; R. Haleigh Caspary 2H, RBI. Tori Thomas 2H, RBI, R. Lily Christian H, RBI, R. Kennedy Goebel H, RBI. Addy Behnke 3R, H. Ryley Warner 2R. Trista Gassner H. Izzy Westphal H, R. Brianna Frea H, R
Lomira Season Stats Leaders
Hitting:
Runs: Trista Gassner 43. Izzy Westphal 36. Kennedy Goebel 34. Lily Christian 24. Tori Thomas 23. Brianna Frea 20. Eleanor Collies 19. Addy Behnke 18. Haleigh Caspry 17. Cali Steger 15. Makenna Casper 13. Ryley Warner 11. Kaelyn Tisdale 2
Hits: Gassner 54. Christian 44. Westphal 38. Collies 34. Caspary 32. Frea 29. Goebel 28. Behnke 26. Thomas 24. Casper 6. Steger 5. Warner 5. Tisdale 1
Doubles: Christian 9. Collies 8. Westphal 7. Gassner 6. Caspary 3. Frea 3. Goebel 2. Steger 2. Casper 2. Thomas 1. Behnke 1
Triples: Gassner 3. Westphal 2. Collies 2. Caspary 2. Goebel 2. Thomas 2. Christian 1. Behnke 1
Home Runs: Christian 7. Caspary 4
RBI: Christian 52. Caspary 29. Westphal 29. Frea 24. Collies 21. Goebel 17. Gassner 11. Thomas 11. Behnke 9. Warner 4. Steger 4. Casper 4. Tisdale 1
Pitching:
Wins: Caspary 16. Christian 10. Thomas 1
Innings: Caspary 112. Christian 59. Goebel 6. Thomas 4
Strikeouts: Caspary 187. Christian 91. Thomas 10. Goebel 5