The Jefferson West softball team captured a regional championship on Wednesday night with a pair of tough wins in Wathena. 

Semifinal #1: Jefferson West 2, Oskaloosa 1 

Two elite pitchers inside the circle in game one in Wathena and the Tigers were able to take advantage of a couple of defensive miscues by the Bears. 

Oskaloosa scored their lone run of the game in the second inning as Michaela Berry worked around the bases and finding her way home after a grounder by Mayzie Peak. 

Jefferson West came right back in the fourth inning and took the lead off of a couple of throwing errors by the Bears defense. 

The 2-1 score held the rest of the game and the Tigers were able to advance. 

Addison Schwinn pitched all seven innings for Jeff West and piled up 13 strikeouts with only two walks. Lily Pullen was inside the circle for the Bears and finished the game with 18 strikeouts and no walks while allowing just three hits. 

Oskaloosa, the defending 2-1A state champs, have their season end at the 3A level with a record of 22-6 overall. 

Semifinal #2: Nemaha Central 5, Riverside 3 (9) 

Nemaha Central entered the semifinal contest with Riverside as the #9 seed in the field and a .500 record. Riverside entered the game as the #1 seed in the field with only one loss on their record. 

The Thunder found a way for the upset win in nine innings. 

Riverside scratched across the first run of the game in the third inning on a solo home run by Ella Wisler. 

NC bounced back to take a 2-1 lead in the fourth as Alexis Beebe-Dishong and Lena McKinley were able to score runs working around a couple of Jeff West errors. 

The Thunder added a key insurance run in the sixth as Natalie Hammes drove in Beebe-Dishong with a bunt single. 

Down two in the sixth, the Cyclones were able to tie it up on a two RBI single off the bat of Kayahna Hewins. 

We would go 3-3 into the ninth inning and the Thunder brought out the big bats as they got back-to-back RBI doubles from Alex Burkitt and Emma Hermesch. 

Wisler would reach in the bottom of the ninth on a two out single, but the Thunder closed it out after that. 

Mia Jackson pitched all nine innings for Riverside and finished with 11 strikeouts and one walk. 

Burkitt pitched all nine innings for Nemaha Central and delivered 12 strikeouts and two walks. 

The Cyclones won the Northeast Kansas League title this season with their season ending with a record of 22-2. 

Championship: Nemaha Central 2, Jefferson West 3

Battle in the Big East for a spot in the state tournament. Jeff West was looking for their second straight appearance while the Thunder were looking for their first trip to state in school history. 

Another close game in the finale with the Tigers prevailing. 

Emmie Dean drove in the first run of the game for Jeff West in the second inning on an RBI single. 

Nemaha Central would take a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning as Alexis Beebe-Dishong drove in two with a single. 

The Tigers tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth inning and an RBI groundout by Taryn Taylor, and they would take the lead in the sixth on an RBI single by Reese Stowe. 

The Thunder would get a runner to third base with two outs in the seventh, but Schwinn would get Jordyn Haverkamp to ground out to end the game. 

Nemaha Central finishes their season with a record of 14-14 while Jeff West is off to state for a second straight year with their record at 21-6 overall.