Christine Roberts and Tiffany Abts did it all for the Roncalli softball team on Thursday, leading the No. 4-seeded Jets past visiting No. 7 Kewaunee 11-9 in the WIAA Division 3 State Softball Tournament regional final. They pitched, they hit, they won the game.
Roberts started for Roncalli and earned the win, going 32⁄3 innings and allowing eight runs — four earned — on seven hits and striking out three while Abts got the save by pitching the final 31⁄3 and limiting the Storm to one run on four hits with four strikeouts.
Both teams scored two runs in the first inning with Abts crushing a two-run home run to get the Jets on the board. Abts finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a team-high five RBI while Roberts (2-for-3) scored all three times she reached base on a pair of doubles and a walk.
Roncalli’s offense erupted in the bottom of the third, scoring seven runs to take the lead for good despite Kewaunee responding with a six-run fourth its next time up to bat. Two more runs in the sixth provided Abts with all the run support she’d need as a late Storm rally in the seventh fell short.
Elizabeth Kuenzi (2-for-3) would also garner a double for the Jets offense.
Next up for Roncalli will be No. 2 Laconia on Tuesday with first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. at Horicon High School.
