This story will be updated.
ASHLAND — The Madison Rams are going to party like it is 1995.
After a 3-1 win over Uniontown Lake on Friday, May 29 at Ashland University’s Deb Miller Stadium, the Rams laid claim to the Division III regional softball championship for their first trip to the state tournament in 31 years.
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They will play Louisville at 10 a.m. on June 5 at Akron’s Firestone Stadium in the Division III state semifinals.
The Rams got on the board right out of the gate in the top of the first when leadoff batter Izzy Wamsley drew a walk. Lexi Lewis then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt that moved Wamsley to second before she broke for third where no Lake player was covering the bag. A throw to third went into the left field foul territory and allowed Wamsley to easily score the game’s first run.
The Rams tacked on one more in the top of the fifth when Avery O’Brien drew a leadoff walk before advancing to second on another sacrifice bunt by Lewis. Caliyah Clapper then smacked an infield single that allowed O’Brien to sneak around third and into home for a 2-0 lead.
After Lake cut the lead in half in the bottom of the sixth, Madison responded with a huge run in the top of the seventh. Wamsley drew her second walk of the game and Lewis again put down a sacrifice bunt to move Wamsley to second. She scored two pitches later after Clapper popped a ball into centerfield for a 3-1 lead and the eventual victory.
Clapper ended the day with three hits and two RBIs while Makena Berkshire had a hit. Wamsley scored twice and O’Brien once.
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Clapper was absolutely dominant in the circle allowing one run on five hits with nine strikeouts in a complete-game masterpiece.
The Rams are now 16-14 and have just the second regional championship in program history.
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Conference: 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2013, 2023, 2025
District: 1995, 1998, 2013, 2018, 2021, 2025, 2026
Regional: 1995, 2026
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Madison beats Uniontown Lake in Division III regional final softball
