Bradford opens the state tournament in the quarterfinals, playing Watertown on Friday night

Playing at the Goodman Softball Complex on the UW-Madison campus bright and early Thursday morning with an 8 a.m. first pitch, it was another Aubrey Strelow-Brooklyn Danielsonn pitching master class in a 4-0 victory over Cedarburg in a WIAA Division 1 state softball quarterfinal.

“We put together a big inning with great execution and aggressive base running, scoring four runs on three hits and two errors off Cedarburg,” Bradford head coach John Ruffolo said via email Thursday afternoon . “Aubrey Strelow shut down Cedarburg after the third, not allowing a base runner over the final four innings. Aubrey had a great feel for her changeup today and kept Cedarburg off balance by mixing speeds and locations. Our defense was error free. “

Strelow went the distance, striking out seven over the final four innings and 12 overall for the day. She did not allow a walk and gave up four hits. She helped her cause tremendously at the plate, going 4-for-4.

Morgan Smith had two hits, Celia May had an RBI double and Jeanblanc added an RBI.

All the Red Devils need with such stellar pitching is a break or bounce to go their way, and the fourth inning provided the breakthrough.

In the third, Morgan Smith started the rally with a leadoff triple. Strelow followed with an infield single and then stole second base.

With runners on second and third, Lauren Jeanblanc delivered a suicide RBI that scored Smith. The throw got away and Strelow also scored. Celia May then doubled to score Jeanblanc.

Mona Duckworth-Torres encouraged a throwing error on a ground ball to the shortstop that scored May and capped Bradford’s scoring.

Bradford (26-3) must now face Watertown (21-4), a team it lost to May 11, 4-3, in eight innings at the Chippewa Falls Invite. The first launch is set for Friday evening at 19.00.

“It should be a great game,” Ruffolo said.