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If the Barneveld softball team had any butterflies for their WIAA Division 5 state tournament opener with Edgar it was a good bet Golden Eagles pitcher Daelyn Rhoades stamped them out early.
Rhoades, a senior hurler who is headed to Cornell College to continue her softball career, is known for her feisty attitude on the mound which at times includes some stomping around. Friday morning was no different.
All Rhoades did was send away the butterflies and limit Edgar to three hits along with a run scored by pinch runner Carly Feltz in the top of the sixth to give the Golden Eagles a chance at a 5-1 win. The rest of the time she kept the Edgar bats silent which was quite an accomplishment against a Wildcats team that hit .311 for the season.
Lefty Makayla Wirkus, a sophomore who also bats lead-off for the Wildcats kept the Golden Eagles off the board until the bottom of the fourth when they scored all five of their runs.
Haedyn Swenson's one out single started it. Hailey Larson followed with another single and Zoe Schmitz sent in the first run of the game with a single. Zoe Schmitz reached base with a hit and advanced to second and third on throws, allowing Larson to score in the process. Emma Gordon coaxed a walk and Bella Sullivan ripped a single to left center to score Gordon, Anessa Schmitz and Zoe Schmitz to make it 5-0.
Edgar's lone run came on an rbi double by Leah Davis.
Rhoades punched out a dozen via the strikeout route and walked three. The one run off her was earned.
Wirkus struck out four and walked two in her outing.
Anessa Schmitz was 2x3 for Barneveld. Zoe Schmitz, Larson, Swenson, Rhoades and Sullivan had one hit each.
The win assured the Eagles of some hardware as they advanced to the championship game to meet Wisconsin Rapids Assumption.