WISCONSIN DELLS - The Cheesemakers have done it.
Monroe's softball postseason outlook was dreary nearly three weeks ago during a three-game skid. However, coach Dale Buvid righted the ship and has his team in the final four for yet another season.
"Who would have thought this three weeks ago?," Buvid said. "We were 10-9, on a three-game losing streak and weren't scoring any runs. But we kept believing that on our best day we could beat anyone. And we did. We got it done."
At the WIAA Division 2 sectional tournament Thursday, Monroe (19-9) defeated Adams-Friendship (9-12) 8-3 in the semifinal, then topped Edgerton (20-4) 3-0 to punch the team's fourth trip to state in the past seven years.
"It feels great to be back and make it two years in a row," Maggie Schuttler said. "It's hard enough just getting to sectionals two years in a row. As a senior, you don't want to end your game here. Even if it ends in a loss at state, it still ends at state."
The Cheesemakers picked up hits in the clutch, and got two marvelous games from senior pitcher Meghan Roberts.
Roberts struck out 11 batters in the first game, including nine in a row. In fact, Monroe's first 10 putouts on defense came via the strikeout.
"I don't want to admit it, but at the end of the first game I was kind of petering out. My arm was getting tired," Roberts said. "But then we had the break, and in this game I wasn't going to let my arm get tired at all. I wanted to get to state."
Against Edgerton, Roberts pitched a one-hitter which included three strikeouts.
"It was a fantastic day by Meghan," Buvid said. "I am so proud of her. She was a very small component on our team last year - No. 3 pitcher and pitched in the JV games. But she made up her mind last summer and started working at it. Even at the start of the season, we still weren't sure if she was going to be our No. 1 pitcher. But she took the reins, showed a lot of poise and has done a good job for us."
Monroe 8,
Adams-Friendship 3
The game appeared to be a pitchers' duel earl on. Though each team had a hit in the first inning, the first two innings saw nine strikeouts combined.
In the top of the third, Monroe got a leadoff single down the left-field line by Gwen Sutter.
"Sutter was big. Sometimes you get a leadoff player on and it changes everything," Buvid said.
Two batters later, junior catcher Paisley Bennett reached on a fielder's choice throwing error, which ended with runners standing at second and third. Maggie Schuttler then plopped a single down the left-field line, scoring both runs. She took second on the throw from left to home, and later scored on a single by Brandi Trewartha.
After Roberts went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the third, the Cheesemakers got back at it on offense in the fourth.
Kendra Clark led off by reaching on an error by the shortstop and pinch runner Abby Kennison went to third on a double to deep right by Kristin McArdle. Sutter knocked in Kennison with a bloop single over the head of the second baseman, putting Monroe's lead at 4-0.
Coree Lee then reached on an error and pinch runner Jessica Beckman stole second to put two ducks on the pond for Bennett and the top of the order. Bennett walked to load the bases, and Schuttler clutched up with a single to right, scoring a pair of runs. While the throw came in from the outfield, Schuttler tried to sneak into second, only to be called out on the tag. The heads-up attempt at second allowed Bennett to score and Monroe to lead 7-0.
Adams-Friendship plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth on four hits. The Green Devils scored another run in the sixth, but Monroe countered with a run in the seventh.
"There were some rough spots, though we didn't play bad. We put the bat on the ball and got eight runs against a good pitcher," Buvid said.
Roberts allowed seven hits and two walks. Sutter finished 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI, Trewartha and Kelsey Erickson each had two hits, and Emily Rufenacht had three base knocks. Schuttler finished with two hits and four RBI.
Monroe 3,
Edgerton 0
The infield let the first batted ball land softly in front of second base before Roberts clamped the defense down in the first inning.
"Between the first and second inning we talked about how we looked like we were playing back on our heels a little bit. Meghan got us out of that inning, and had she not pitched so well, it could have been a very different game early on," Buvid said.
Monroe scored its first run in the second inning. Trewartha reached on an error by the Crimson Tide's third baseman and went to second on a ground out by Erickson. Kendra Clark then grounded out to short, but the relay throw from first to third in an attempt to gun down Trewartha ricocheted along the fence line and Monroe's second baseman came home easily.
"Right as I crossed that plate, I knew it (was over)," Trewartha said. "That first run just pumps everyone up and we knew we could do it."
The Cheesemakers added their second run in the fifth. A two-out single by Rufenacht brought in Bennett from second.
In the sixth, Erickson beat a throw by the shortstop for an infield single and Clark ripped a shot into left on an 0-2 count. Two batters later, Sutter drove home Erickson with a single into left.
Meanwhile, Roberts was nearly unhittable. The only hit off the senior hurler was a one-out single in the first inning. In the last three innings, Roberts induced four groundouts, a flyout to left, a foulout to first, three popouts to short and a lineout to herself.
"I stuck my glove up and hoped it would go in - and it did. That was lucky," Roberts said of her self-defense catch in the sixth.
Rufenacht, who erred on the popup in the first, caught the final popup to end the game.
"I was so excited when it was in the air that I had to remind myself to catch the ball first before celebrating," Rufenacht said.
"I started jumping up and down before (Emily) even caught it," Roberts said.
As the team celebrated its victory, one player couldn't hold back deeper emotions. Bennett, a junior catcher, has played the bulk of the season while her father is serving with the National Guard in Iraq. After the game, she called her dad.
"I told him that we won and that we were headed back to state," Bennett said. "Last weekend when I called him he said he already got my birthday present and he told me to go and win a state championship.
"It feels good to prove everyone wrong at both regionals and sectionals."
Buvid was pleased with how his team finished out the second game.
"(Edgerton hasn't) given up many runs all year. They are a very nice defensive team. Hats off to our kids to beat a team of that quality," he said.
Monroe plays Port Washington (17-8) at 6 p.m. Friday, June 12, at Goodman Field on the UW-Madison campus. Should Monroe win, it would play at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 13 against either Altoona (21-5) or Luxemburg-Casco (16-12) for a state title.
Monroe's softball postseason outlook was dreary nearly three weeks ago during a three-game skid. However, coach Dale Buvid righted the ship and has his team in the final four for yet another season.
"Who would have thought this three weeks ago?," Buvid said. "We were 10-9, on a three-game losing streak and weren't scoring any runs. But we kept believing that on our best day we could beat anyone. And we did. We got it done."
At the WIAA Division 2 sectional tournament Thursday, Monroe (19-9) defeated Adams-Friendship (9-12) 8-3 in the semifinal, then topped Edgerton (20-4) 3-0 to punch the team's fourth trip to state in the past seven years.
"It feels great to be back and make it two years in a row," Maggie Schuttler said. "It's hard enough just getting to sectionals two years in a row. As a senior, you don't want to end your game here. Even if it ends in a loss at state, it still ends at state."
The Cheesemakers picked up hits in the clutch, and got two marvelous games from senior pitcher Meghan Roberts.
Roberts struck out 11 batters in the first game, including nine in a row. In fact, Monroe's first 10 putouts on defense came via the strikeout.
"I don't want to admit it, but at the end of the first game I was kind of petering out. My arm was getting tired," Roberts said. "But then we had the break, and in this game I wasn't going to let my arm get tired at all. I wanted to get to state."
Against Edgerton, Roberts pitched a one-hitter which included three strikeouts.
"It was a fantastic day by Meghan," Buvid said. "I am so proud of her. She was a very small component on our team last year - No. 3 pitcher and pitched in the JV games. But she made up her mind last summer and started working at it. Even at the start of the season, we still weren't sure if she was going to be our No. 1 pitcher. But she took the reins, showed a lot of poise and has done a good job for us."
Monroe 8,
Adams-Friendship 3
The game appeared to be a pitchers' duel earl on. Though each team had a hit in the first inning, the first two innings saw nine strikeouts combined.
In the top of the third, Monroe got a leadoff single down the left-field line by Gwen Sutter.
"Sutter was big. Sometimes you get a leadoff player on and it changes everything," Buvid said.
Two batters later, junior catcher Paisley Bennett reached on a fielder's choice throwing error, which ended with runners standing at second and third. Maggie Schuttler then plopped a single down the left-field line, scoring both runs. She took second on the throw from left to home, and later scored on a single by Brandi Trewartha.
After Roberts went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the third, the Cheesemakers got back at it on offense in the fourth.
Kendra Clark led off by reaching on an error by the shortstop and pinch runner Abby Kennison went to third on a double to deep right by Kristin McArdle. Sutter knocked in Kennison with a bloop single over the head of the second baseman, putting Monroe's lead at 4-0.
Coree Lee then reached on an error and pinch runner Jessica Beckman stole second to put two ducks on the pond for Bennett and the top of the order. Bennett walked to load the bases, and Schuttler clutched up with a single to right, scoring a pair of runs. While the throw came in from the outfield, Schuttler tried to sneak into second, only to be called out on the tag. The heads-up attempt at second allowed Bennett to score and Monroe to lead 7-0.
Adams-Friendship plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth on four hits. The Green Devils scored another run in the sixth, but Monroe countered with a run in the seventh.
"There were some rough spots, though we didn't play bad. We put the bat on the ball and got eight runs against a good pitcher," Buvid said.
Roberts allowed seven hits and two walks. Sutter finished 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI, Trewartha and Kelsey Erickson each had two hits, and Emily Rufenacht had three base knocks. Schuttler finished with two hits and four RBI.
Monroe 3,
Edgerton 0
The infield let the first batted ball land softly in front of second base before Roberts clamped the defense down in the first inning.
"Between the first and second inning we talked about how we looked like we were playing back on our heels a little bit. Meghan got us out of that inning, and had she not pitched so well, it could have been a very different game early on," Buvid said.
Monroe scored its first run in the second inning. Trewartha reached on an error by the Crimson Tide's third baseman and went to second on a ground out by Erickson. Kendra Clark then grounded out to short, but the relay throw from first to third in an attempt to gun down Trewartha ricocheted along the fence line and Monroe's second baseman came home easily.
"Right as I crossed that plate, I knew it (was over)," Trewartha said. "That first run just pumps everyone up and we knew we could do it."
The Cheesemakers added their second run in the fifth. A two-out single by Rufenacht brought in Bennett from second.
In the sixth, Erickson beat a throw by the shortstop for an infield single and Clark ripped a shot into left on an 0-2 count. Two batters later, Sutter drove home Erickson with a single into left.
Meanwhile, Roberts was nearly unhittable. The only hit off the senior hurler was a one-out single in the first inning. In the last three innings, Roberts induced four groundouts, a flyout to left, a foulout to first, three popouts to short and a lineout to herself.
"I stuck my glove up and hoped it would go in - and it did. That was lucky," Roberts said of her self-defense catch in the sixth.
Rufenacht, who erred on the popup in the first, caught the final popup to end the game.
"I was so excited when it was in the air that I had to remind myself to catch the ball first before celebrating," Rufenacht said.
"I started jumping up and down before (Emily) even caught it," Roberts said.
As the team celebrated its victory, one player couldn't hold back deeper emotions. Bennett, a junior catcher, has played the bulk of the season while her father is serving with the National Guard in Iraq. After the game, she called her dad.
"I told him that we won and that we were headed back to state," Bennett said. "Last weekend when I called him he said he already got my birthday present and he told me to go and win a state championship.
"It feels good to prove everyone wrong at both regionals and sectionals."
Buvid was pleased with how his team finished out the second game.
"(Edgerton hasn't) given up many runs all year. They are a very nice defensive team. Hats off to our kids to beat a team of that quality," he said.
Monroe plays Port Washington (17-8) at 6 p.m. Friday, June 12, at Goodman Field on the UW-Madison campus. Should Monroe win, it would play at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 13 against either Altoona (21-5) or Luxemburg-Casco (16-12) for a state title.
