Muskego jumps to No. 1 with tons of shuffling in final Milwaukee-area softball rankings
AREA RANKINGS
Team (W-L), last week
1. Muskego (17-0), 2
2. Kenosha Bradford (20-1), 1
3. Westosha Central (14-2), 3
4. West Bend West (16-4), 9
5. Cedarburg (18-3), 4
6. Burlington Catholic Central (15-0), 6
7. Arrowhead (14-5), 5
8. Germantown (15-5), –
9. Wisconsin Lutheran (12-3), –
10. New Berlin Eisenhower (15-2), 7
Others considered: Burlington (14-5), Franklin (14-3), Kewaskum (15-7), Menomonee Falls (15-5), Milwaukee Reagan (15-7), Oak Creek (13-7), Slinger (14-7), Sussex Hamilton (13-5), Waterford (13-5) and Whitnall (15-8).
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Germantown
Franklin took down last week's team of the week, Oak Creek, in impressive fashion on their way to a 4-0 week. West Bend West got some payback from earlier in the season with a victory over fellow North Shore Conference title challenger Cedarburg. Burlington Catholic Central and Muskego both continued undefeated regular seasons. Waterford' has been rolling, and that continued as its's win streak reached 10 games.
In the end, Germantown takes home this week's honor after a strong 4-0 week that put the Warhawks alone in first place heading into the final week of the regular season for Division 1 teams. Germantown took down Brookfield East, the West Allis co-op and rival Menomonee Falls for the first win over the Phoenix in five years. The Warhawks outscored their opponents 45-8 and have held their opposition in the last six games to four runs or fewer.
Belmont recruit Maddy Balsiger dominated at the plate. She registered 10 hits in 14 at-bats with two home runs, 11 runs batted in, seven runs scored with four stolen bases. In a 5-2 win over West Allis on Thursday, Balsiger also recorded her 100th RBI.
COMING UP
Sussex Hamilton at Menomonee Falls, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday: Falls can tie Germantown atop the Greater Metro Conference standings with a win here after falling to the Warhawks last week. Hamilton would need a ton of help to repeat as conference champion, but it can still play spoiler.
New Berlin Eisenhower at Oak Creek, 5 p.m. Wednesday: Two programs that played in Madison will face off in non-conference action. Eisenhower received a No. 1 seeding for the second straight postseason in Division 2, while the Knights will look to rebound from a rough loss to Southeast Conference rival Franklin last week.
Franklin at Kenosha Bradford, 4:30 p.m., Thursday: Speaking of the Sabers, they'll head to Kenosha for a big-time matchup with the Red Devils, who suffered their first defeat of the season Saturday against Waterford. A win Monday against Tremper would have sealed the conference title for Bradford, but this should still be a fun matchup.
Muskego at Arrowhead, 4:30 p.m. Thursday: There's a new No. 1 team in the area rankings and it could go on the road with a Classic 8 Conference title already in the bag. Arrowhead has a busy four-game week but still has an outside chance at a title split. If the Warriors fall in two of their final three conference games (including this one) and the Warhawks win out, the title splits. A long shot, but a shot nonetheless for Arrowhead.
West Bend West at Germantown, 5 p.m. Thursday: Two teams that had a stellar week will face off in more non-conference action. West Bend West heads out for a matchup with the Warhawks, who snatched first place in the Greater Metro Conference title chase away from Menomonee Falls last week. This will provide a stern test for both programs as the season winds down.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Muskego finishes No. 1 in final area softball rankings with 17-0 mark
