Madison, WI – The Madison Night Mares defeated the Wausau Ignite on Wednesday night to win the 2026 Northwoods League Softball Championship for the second consecutive season, sweeping the two game series between the teams.

The Night Mares took the lead in the second inning, as Trinity Kennemer (Metropolitan State University of Denver) hit a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. In the third, Madison added on. Tia Durst (University of Washington) hit a solo homer to make it 2-0, and Danielle Lucey and Ava Carroll (University of Washington) added run-scoring hits to stretch the advantage to four.

In the top of the fourth, Viola Smith (Eastern Illinois University) hit a solo home run in the fourth inning to put the Ignite on the board. It was the only run that Ryan Maddox (University of Washington) allowed, as she fired four solid innings with two strikeouts.

Braylen Conlon (University of Iowa) tossed a scoreless fifth, and the Night Mares added insurance in the bottom of the inning. Hilary Blomberg (University of Wisconsin) led off the inning with a solo home run, and Emma Kavanagh (Virginia Tech) hit a two-run shot moments later to extend the lead to 7-1.

The Night Mares held firm control the rest of the way. Kendall Weik (North Carolina State University) pitched a scoreless sixth inning, before Brooke Mannon (Indiana University) entered for the seventh inning. Mannon retired the side in order to clinch the title for Madison.

Maddox earned the win for the Night Mares, while Zoey Mills (Northwestern State University) took the loss for Wausau. Madison’s pitching staff allowed just two runs through both games of the series. 

The win marks the second title in championship history for the Night Mares, following the team’s 2025 title. Madison broke a league record with 38 victories during the historic 2026 season.