Sports

Middleton’s girls softball team spent most of last week waiting, and waiting, and waiting  to play.

That’s what torrential rains will do to a team.

When the Cardinals finally got to play on April 16, they made extremely quick work of host Janesville Parker.

Middleton pounded out 16 hits and pitcher Cece Smith hurled a one-hit gem as the Cardinals routed the Vikings, 16-0, in a game stopped after four innings due to the mercy rule. Middleton improved to 5-3 overall and is now 3-1 in the Big Eight Conference.

Smith gave up a single to the first batter she faced, Parker catcher Delaney King. That was the only hit that the Cardinals’ hard-throwing sophomore allowed, though.

Smith struck out seven, walked just one and allowed only two base runners after the first. Smith threw strikes on 40 of her 56 pitches (71.4%) and faced just 14 batters in the Cardinals’ quick win.

Middleton’s girls soccer team is ranked No. 7 in the latest Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association poll.

And the Cardinals showed why on April 18.

Middleton and perennial power Hudson played to a 0-0 draw during an all-day tournament at Breitenbach Stadium. The Cardinals then rolled past Lake Geneva Badger, 8-0, at the same tournament.

Middleton is now 2-0-2 on the young season with a big week ahead.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ games with Hudson and Badger.

• Middleton 0, Hudson 0 — Senior keeper Kylie Carbon posted her second shutout of the season that included her denying Hudson on three breakaway chances.

Middleton’s boys tennis team dropped two of three matches at the Neenah Invitational last weekend.

The Cardinals defeated Neenah, 4-3, fell to Brookfield East 6-1 and dropped a 4-2 decision to Homestead.

Here’s a recap of Middleton’s matches.

• Middleton 4, Neenah 3 — The Cardinals won three of four singles matches and edged the Rockets.

Middleton’s Alexander Bo posted a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 1 singles. Tianmu Pei cruised past Charlie Perry, 6-0, 6-2, at No. 3 singles and Joseph Weisman had a thrilling 6-2, 4-6, 10-8 win at No. 4 singles.

Middleton’s No. 3 doubles team of Sullivan Watson and Benjamin Myers also led 6-3, 4-3 when the Rockets’ duo retired.

• Brookfield East 6, Middleton 1 — The Cardinals fell to the perennially powerful Spartans.

Middleton No. 1 singles player Alexander Bo notched the Cardinals’ lone win rolling to a 6-2, 6-4 win over East’s Luca Bonfilio.

The 12th annual Cardinals ‘Strike Out Cancer’ baseball game will be played May 7 at 5 p.m. at Sun Prairie East High School's Summit Field.

Big Eight Conference rivals Middleton and Sun Prairie dedicate an annual matchup to raising awareness and funds for pediatric cancer research.  

The game was started in 2014 by former Middleton manager Tom Schmitt and Sun Prairie skipper Rob Hamilton. The tradition has carried on under current MHS manager Brent Jorgensen and Sun Prairie East coach Jack Marchese.

Over the past 11 years, these programs have raised more than $239,000 for American Family Children's Hospital Kids Cancer Research.

“It really wraps around families in both communities who are being treated for cancer who are at our hospitals a lot and it’s just showing that support and love,” UW Health American Family Children’s Hospital Development Outreach Specialist Lori Schultz said. “I think that’s why it’s such a great time‚”

Expectations are great.

Hopes are extremely high.

And Middleton’s No. 1 ranked boys golf team showed exactly why, winning its first two meets of the new season last week.

Middleton opened its season by winning the Big Eight-Badger Conference Challenge on April 6 at Bishop’s Bay Country Club. The Cardinals fired a 306, while Milton was second with a 316. Madison Edgewood (323) and Waunakee (326) rounded out the field.

Middleton then won a Big Eight Conference triangular held at Pleasant View Golf Course on April 8. The Cardinals shot a 302, while Madison West carded a 315 and Sun Prairie East shot a 362.

During the Cardinals’ win at the Big Eight-Badger Challenge, Middleton senior Berrin Reiter tied for medalist honors with Milton’s Kade Wieland — a University of Wisconsin recruit. Both players carded s1-over-par, 73.

Middleton’s baseball team split its first four games of the season last week.

The Cardinals defeated Madison West, 4-0, on April 8, then the Regents rebounded and toppled MHS, 9-1, on April 9.

Milton defeated Middleton, 6-3, on April 10. The Cardinals then bounced back and toppled Eau Claire Memorial, 3-2, on April 11.

“Overall, we improved quite a bit from the start of the week to the end of the week,” Middleton manager Brent Jorgensen said. “Playing four games in four days is tough because players have to make changes and adjustments in the games and can't build their confidence that comes through practice.

“Of course we would have liked to walk away with more wins, but we played hard and improved throughout the week. If we can keep that going, I think the wins will take care of themselves, and we'll be a really tough team.”

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ week.

Middleton’s boys tennis team started the year with a bang, finishing in third place at the star-studded 30-team Brookfield Central Invite held April 10-11.

The Cardinals rolled into the semifinals, where they fell to defending state champion Brookfield Central, 5-2. Middleton rebounded, though, with a 4-3 win over Lake Geneva Badger in the third place match.

The Cardinals also defeated Verona, 7-0, in a Big Eight Conference match on April 9.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ week.

BROOKFIELD CENTRAL INVITE

• Middleton 7, Union Grove 0 — The fourth-seeded Cardinals rolled to straight set wins at every flight over 29^th-seeded Union Grove in their first match at the BC Invite.

Middleton’s track and field teams hosted a triangular with Madison La Follette and Janesville Parker on April 8.

Here were the Cardinals that notched top-three finishes:

GIRLS

FIRST

• Senior Noel Neuser won the 200-meter dash (28.55).

• Senior Olivia Chellevold won the 400-meter dash (1:07.77).

• Freshman Huiyao Wang won the 800-meter run (2:33.53).

• Freshman Cameron Wambold won the 1,600-meter run (5:54.47).

• Sophomore Sofia Dergacheva won the 100-meter hurdles (19.24).

• Middleton won the 800-meter relay (1:48.60) and the 1,600-meter relay (4:29.36).

SECOND

• Senior Abby Arnold was second in the 100-meter dash (13.84).

• Junior Anabelle Keen was second in the 400-meter dash (1:07.84).

• Sophomore Marina Malloy Salgado was second in the 800-meter run (2:39.88).

Middleton’s softball team won two of three games last week.

The Cardinals defeated Sun Prairie West, 16-8, on April 8, then were routed by Sussex Hamilton, 13-0, on April 10 in a game stopped after five innings due to the mercy rule. Middleton did bounce back with a 13-3 win over Janesville Craig on April 11.

The Cardinals are now 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the Big Eight Conference.

Here’s a recap of Middleton’s week.

• Middleton 16, Sun Prairie West 8 — Sophomore shortstop McKenna Utter belted two home runs and the Cardinals pounded out 17 hits in a win at West.

Utter finished her day 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Senior right fielder Lily Kulow went 3-for-5 with two doubles and senior third baseman Annika Jafferis went 3-for-3 with three runs scored.

Middleton’s boys lacrosse team toppled Neenah, 10-4, last Saturday.

Junior goalie Jake Brooks had nine saves and reached 100 career saves overall. Brooks finished with an impressive save percentage of .692 against the Rockets.

Patrick Passini led the Cardinals with three goals, while Evan Mazur, Griffin See and Roan Johnson all added two goals. Vincent Juru also had a goal and Aksel Chelesvig was dominant on face-offs, winning 16 of 18.

The game was tied, 1-1, after the first quarter, but Middleton struck for six goals in the second quarter and surged to a 7-2 halftime lead.

The defense overcame a handful of penalties and was led by the physicality of Salisbury University (Md.) commit Oliver Wenning. Defenders Jonathon Schwartz and Everett Lamp also helped hold Neenah to just four goals.

• On deck: Middleton hosted Sun Prairie Wednesday, then is at Hudson Saturday at 3:30 p.m.