The KUA Wildcats left everything on the field on Friday, but lost the Lakes Region championship game to Tilton by a 12-2 score. The game was close through the first four and and a half innings, with the Wildcats getting big hits from Misora Hashiramoto, Emma Lapsley, Adi Runge, Shannon Moran, and Margaret Herlihy to trail 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth. Tilton's big bats went to work in that inning, however, and did so again in the next to put the game out of reach. Despite the loss, the Wildcats' season was anything but a failure, finishing with a 10-5 record and making the championship game for the first time since...well, no one really knows. Probably ever. Great work girls!

Down 6-1 in the fourth inning, the Wildcats rallied for a 9-6 victory over New Hampton on Wednesday in the semi-finals of the Lakes Region playoffs. After New Hampton chipped away offensively, taking a five-run lead into the bottom of the fourth, the Wildcats' bats heated up. Singles by Audrey Donahue and Lyndsey Patten started the rally and Emma Lapsley batted in both runners with a two-out double to the fence. Adi Runge followed with a single and Lulu Leppard walked to load the bases, bringing up senior captain Shannon Moran. With one swing of the bat, Moran sent the ball to the right-centerfield fence, clearing the bases and tying the game. The game remained tied until the sixth, when Lulu Leppard singled and Moran hit her second double in a row to score the go-ahead run. Michaela Cokinos followed with a double of her own, scoring Moran. Margaret Herlihy singled to keep the rally going, scoring Cokinos and giving the Wildcats a three-run lead. Pitcher Adi Runge and the KUA defense, anchored by Misora Hashiramoto behind the plate, did the rest, retiring the next six New Hampton batters in succession. Up next for the Wildcats is the Lakes Region Championship game this Friday at Tilton.

In a game that had home-field playoff implications, the Wildcats got 15 hits from eight different players en route to a 19-6 six-inning win over New Hampton on Saturday. After falling behind 4-2 after three innings, the KUA bats came alive and rallied for an eight-run fourth inning, followed by a three-run fifth, and a six-run sixth. Misora Hashiramoto, Emma Lapsley, Adi Runge, and Lulu Leppard all scored three runs for the Wildcats, while senior captain Shannon Moran had a big day, going 3-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored. Fellow seniors Audrey Donahue and Margaret Herlihy had multiple hits while Lyndsey Patten had a day at the plate that saw her earn four walks while scoring two runs. Runge pitched all six innings for the win, striking out seven batters in the process. The Wildcats will face New Hampton at home on Wednesday in the semi-finals of the Lakes Region playoffs.