RAMSTEIN AIR BASE and KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – There weren’t many surprises Thursday as bracket play kicked off Day 2 of the 2024 DODEA-Europe softball championships.

Kaiserslautern and Wiesbaden struggled to get their engines firing on all cylinders early on against their quarterfinal rivals, but ultimately the higher seeded teams prevailed in two tense competitions. The Raiders edged out Lakenheath 9-4 while the Warriors rallied late against SHAPE to secure a 13-9 victory.

Ramstein had a much smoother ride while cruising into the semifinals with a 29-1 blowout win over Vilseck.

Coming off their quarterfinal victory a few hours earlier, Kaiserslautern had to face down a well rested No. 1 seed Stuttgart. The contest was nearly a dead heat going into the third inning, but with the bases loaded, the Raiders were able to break free and take a 5-2 lead. Stuttgart responded with a run of its own, but that’s where the answers stopped. Kaiserslautern held on for two more scoreless innings to topple the Panthers 5-3.

The Warriors fired off a couple of runs in the first inning of their semifinal match against the Royals in hopes of avenging their heartbreaking one-run loss to Ramstein in last year’s championship game. The Royals doused some of Wiesbaden’s fire pulling ahead with seven runs and staying out front. The Warriors kept the game within reach with a slew of exceptional outfield catches led by junior Imani Coley, but at home plate, Wiesbaden’s bats couldn’t break through senior Madison Mihalic’s wall of strikes. Mihalic finished with 11 strikeouts in the game while securing a 15-3 win for the defending champions.

Friday’s championship game is shaping up to be a battle from the pitcher’s circle. Kaiserslautern coach Zac Robinson credited much of the day’s success to senior pitcher Bevanie Cleark.

“She just threw with such guts, determination, and grit,” Robinson said. “It’s amazing to see. Our strength is Bevanie in the circle.”

Throughout the tournament, coaches, players and officials alike have cited Ramstein’s Mihalic as the star pitcher in the division.

A lot seemingly rests on these pitchers’ shoulders going into Friday’s championship, but both credit their teammates as the true key to success.

“Our biggest strength is playing with our hearts and fighting till the end with passion,” Cleark said. “We’re all capable of hitting off of any pitcher in DODEA.”

“It really just comes down to attitude and team chemistry as a whole — I don’t think it’s just a pitcher’s game,” Mihalic said. “I love my team, and there is no other team I would trade them for.”

Naples, Rota face challenges from underdogs

Defending champion Naples remains the team to beat in the smaller schools division after a perfect 3-0 record atop Pool A.

Rota still managed to hold on to the top spot in Pool B, but it took some considerable effort after an upset loss courtesy of Sigonella. Rota secured the top position in a much-needed win over Hohenfels (19-5) during the last of Day 2’s games.

The semifinals are set with the No. 7 and 8 seeds looking to chop down the top ranked teams.

Alconbury secured its Friday positioning with a 22-14 victory over Vicenza that lasted nearly two full hours over five innings. Hohenfels had all but tied the other semifinal slot during the opening day with two wins and a plus-25 run differential.

Alconbury senior and team captain Rachana Dacumos said Hohenfels’ strong play from the bottom tournament seed also gave her team motivation to perform. Dacumos added that she felt the Dragons “underdog” label works in their favor with unsuspecting opponents.

Veteran Alconbury coach Duke Eidt said it’s difficult to define what an underdog is in the division, because the teams often don’t have a chance to see or play against one another in the regular season.

“We had a season that included a lot of games against D-I teams which we were competitive with, so we actually felt pretty good coming into the tournament,” Eidt said. “We’re right where we want to be.”

Although the defending champs still sit atop the standings, Naples coach Amy Driscoll said her team’s excited for the competition and she loves that Hohenfels and Alconbury have made so much headway in the tournament.

“I’m just so thrilled. I love that underdog story,” Driscoll said. “I think they’ll be good competition for us...we look forward to playing them. It’ll be great.”

In Friday’s semifinals, Naples will play Hohenfels while Rota takes on Alconbury.