Zimmerman deals back-to-back no-hitters

Macie Zimmerman’s last two games of a record-setting career in the pitcher’s circle at Peterson Park were memorable no-hitters.

The first — a 10-0, 11-strikeout win in five innings over Markesan last Thursday — gave the Wolves their fourth straight regional title. The second, a 4-0 shutout of St. Mary’s Springs Tuesday, gave Algoma a shot at something they haven’t had since 2023: a chance to play for a sectional championship.

Zimmerman was a freshman when the Wolves suffered a heartbreaking, 3-2 loss to Iola-Scandinavia in a sectional final at Crivitz. A year later, Algoma lost at home to Random Lake 9-5 in a sectional semifinal. Last season, it was a 4-0 semifinal defeat at Mishicot.

This Thursday (after deadline for this week’s issue), the Wolves traveled to Johnson Creek for a Div. 4 sectional final, hoping to pull off an upset against the state-ranked Bluejays.

The other games in the bracket featured Mineral Point vs. Fennimore at Riverdale High School in Muscoda, perennial power Grantsburg hosting McDonnell Catholic, and Marathon at home against Auburndale. The four winners advance to the WIAA’s 50th State Softball Tournament June 10-13 at Goodman Diamond in Madison. D-4 semifinals are Thursday afternoon, with the title game around 10:30 Saturday morning.

After leading the Packerland Conference with a 1.037 earned run average and 90 strikeouts in 54 innings, Zimmerman has only given up three hits and one earned run while striking out 24 in three tournament games. Her ERA in that span? Just .412, and opposing batters were averaging .055 at the plate.

Algoma’s four hits in the regional title game happened in the rarest of fashion. Only two girls got hits, and both got two in one inning: Amya Lukes in the first, and Ryley Tweedy in the fifth. Both led off the innings with singles, and both ended with singles. Emma DeMeuse was tagged at home for the third out trying to score on Lukes’ second hit of the first inning, while Tweedy’s second base hit in the fifth was a walk-off when Madison Schneider scored the 10th run.

In addition to timely hitting, the Wolves took advantage of eight walks, four hit batters and three errors.

On Tuesday, Zimmerman had six strikeouts and walked five, three of them issued to the Ledgers’ leadoff hitter. From the batter’s box, Zimmerman ripped a two-run home run over the centerfield fence in the bottom of the first inning.

Natalie Ray followed with a long double. Courtesy runner Sadie Rikkola then scored on an RBI single by Tweedy. Lukes had two hits, including a double, plus a leadoff walk that Macie turned into two runs. Zimmerman was walked twice after that.

Algoma improved to 15-9 on the season. Johnson Creek (24-4) won 18 straight to start the season before losing four of their next seven. They won three straight since.

Meanwhile, Packerland champion Southern Door’s season ended in a Div. 3 sectional semifinal loss at home in five innings to two-seed New Holstein, 14-4. The Eagles finished 22-5.

In Div. 2, Luxemburg-Casco ended 21-7 after a 3-2 sectional semifinal loss at Fox Valley Lutheran. The Spartans outhit the Huskies, 7-6, with two each from Claire Schleis and Alayna Deprez. Jasmine Jandrin took the loss, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits. She struck out two, and issued no walks. Abigail Buckmaster doubled, and Riley Westlund had a sacrifice fly.

Last Thursday, the Spartans won the regional title at home, beating Seymour 6-4. Abigail Buckmaster’s bases-clearing double in the bottom of the sixth was huge. Deprez and Alayna Heurkens each had a pair of hits, and Jandrin earned the win in the circle.