FREEPORT - The second day of the Pretzel Invitational softball tournament was a learning experience for Monroe (3-3, 1-0 Badger South), which lost two games Saturday. In a quarterfinal, the Cheesemakers were pounded, 17-0, by Metamora. In the consolation semifinals, Monroe dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker to Huntley.
"Nothing surprised me down here," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said. "This is an excellent softball tournament with excellent teams and athletes. It's like a mini state tournament for northern Illinois."
Huntley 3, Monroe 2
In the consolation semifinals Saturday at Read Park, Huntley finally broke through against Monroe senior pitcher Meghan Roberts in the fourth inning. Sam Clemons led off with a single to center. Jenna Mychko followed with a single to left. Deanna DeBoschere crushed a two-run double to center to give the Red Raiders a 2-1 lead.
Monroe senior Coree Lee came through with a clutch two-out game-tying RBI single in the sixth. Lee finished 2-for-2 at the plate to lead the Cheesemakers.
"Mainly, I just came in and was trying to hit it to the outfield," Lee said. "After it was over, I thought now we have a chance at the championship."
The Red Raiders answered in the top of the seventh. DeBoschere, who was 2-for-3, lined a double to center. She took third when the relay throw went to second. Sarah Clancy grounded to Monroe third baseman Kristin McArdle, who made a pinpoint throw to first. DeBoschere made a late break for home after McArdle released the ball and slid in for the game-winning run.
"I thought it was kind of cheap," Roberts said. "She didn't really earn that run, but she got it."
Roberts went the distance, pitching seven innings and gave up three runs on seven hits. She struck out four and walked none.
"I had a goal of going to the championship," Roberts said. "I thought we would be good enough to go that far as a team."
However, it didn't work out and the Cheesemakers had their sights set on a different title game.
"We wanted to get in and win the consolation championship game," Buvid said. "We thought we were good enough to win it. To only have two runs is a little disappointing."
Buvid said the Cheesemakers should have thrown ahead instead of behind DeBoschere, who ended up on third after hitting a double in the seventh.
"They probably would have bunted her over and we would still have to throw her out," Buvid said about a play at home where DeBoschere scored on a groundout. "We were going to concede one run. We wanted to stay out of the big inning. We were hoping to score one or two in the bottom of the inning."
The Cheesemakers had a golden scoring opportunity in the second with the bases loaded and just one out, but could only push across one run. Monroe junior Paisley Bennett helped the Cheesemakers jump out to a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the second. Clemons struck out senior Maggie Schuttler and induced Emily Rufenacht to ground out to first.
"The disappointing thing is we looked at a lot of third strikes with runners in scoring position," Buvid said. "Last year we could win a lot of games with two or three runs. This year we will have to score four or five runs."
Metamora 17, Monroe 0
In the quarterfinal game against Metamora, McArdle pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first. McArdle pitched three innings and gave up three runs on five hits.
Metamora pounded out 15 hits off three Monroe pitchers and broke open a 3-0 lead with a nine-run fourth inning, which saw the Redbirds bat around the order. The Cheesemakers gave up six unearned runs in the fourth on two errors, two walks and a wild pitch by Jessica Beckman. The Cheesemakers committed several uncharacteristic errors and Metamora collected five infield hits and stole five bases.
"It's been a long time since we have been beat like that," Buvid said. "It may have been 20 years."
Metamora's Brittany Wernsman, who was 3-for-3, walked to lead off the fourth. Krista Polanin singled. Maddie Anglin, who was 3-for-4, delivered an RBI single to give Metamora a 4-0 lead. The big blow came when Molly Cull crushed a two-run triple to left to give Metamora a 9-0 lead.
The Redbirds tacked on four more runs in the fifth highlighted by Polanin's two-run double to center. Polanin finished 2-for-5.
"We knew we played bad that inning," Buvid said. "You just hope you can get the next batter and hope to get out of there before being overwhelmed. If we make plays and play error-free it's probably 5 or 6 to nothing."
The Cheesemakers had six hits and were led by sophomore Kelsey Erickson, who was 2-for-2.
Buvid also knows he can count on Roberts' pitching.
"She is pitching well enough to keep us in games," he said. "(And) I learned Coree Lee can help us hitting in big situations."
Lee knows the Cheesemakers will benefit from the elite competition.
"We are learning to adjust to more difficult teams," Lee said. "That will only help us against the teams we play in Wisconsin."
"Nothing surprised me down here," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said. "This is an excellent softball tournament with excellent teams and athletes. It's like a mini state tournament for northern Illinois."
Huntley 3, Monroe 2
In the consolation semifinals Saturday at Read Park, Huntley finally broke through against Monroe senior pitcher Meghan Roberts in the fourth inning. Sam Clemons led off with a single to center. Jenna Mychko followed with a single to left. Deanna DeBoschere crushed a two-run double to center to give the Red Raiders a 2-1 lead.
Monroe senior Coree Lee came through with a clutch two-out game-tying RBI single in the sixth. Lee finished 2-for-2 at the plate to lead the Cheesemakers.
"Mainly, I just came in and was trying to hit it to the outfield," Lee said. "After it was over, I thought now we have a chance at the championship."
The Red Raiders answered in the top of the seventh. DeBoschere, who was 2-for-3, lined a double to center. She took third when the relay throw went to second. Sarah Clancy grounded to Monroe third baseman Kristin McArdle, who made a pinpoint throw to first. DeBoschere made a late break for home after McArdle released the ball and slid in for the game-winning run.
"I thought it was kind of cheap," Roberts said. "She didn't really earn that run, but she got it."
Roberts went the distance, pitching seven innings and gave up three runs on seven hits. She struck out four and walked none.
"I had a goal of going to the championship," Roberts said. "I thought we would be good enough to go that far as a team."
However, it didn't work out and the Cheesemakers had their sights set on a different title game.
"We wanted to get in and win the consolation championship game," Buvid said. "We thought we were good enough to win it. To only have two runs is a little disappointing."
Buvid said the Cheesemakers should have thrown ahead instead of behind DeBoschere, who ended up on third after hitting a double in the seventh.
"They probably would have bunted her over and we would still have to throw her out," Buvid said about a play at home where DeBoschere scored on a groundout. "We were going to concede one run. We wanted to stay out of the big inning. We were hoping to score one or two in the bottom of the inning."
The Cheesemakers had a golden scoring opportunity in the second with the bases loaded and just one out, but could only push across one run. Monroe junior Paisley Bennett helped the Cheesemakers jump out to a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the second. Clemons struck out senior Maggie Schuttler and induced Emily Rufenacht to ground out to first.
"The disappointing thing is we looked at a lot of third strikes with runners in scoring position," Buvid said. "Last year we could win a lot of games with two or three runs. This year we will have to score four or five runs."
Metamora 17, Monroe 0
In the quarterfinal game against Metamora, McArdle pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first. McArdle pitched three innings and gave up three runs on five hits.
Metamora pounded out 15 hits off three Monroe pitchers and broke open a 3-0 lead with a nine-run fourth inning, which saw the Redbirds bat around the order. The Cheesemakers gave up six unearned runs in the fourth on two errors, two walks and a wild pitch by Jessica Beckman. The Cheesemakers committed several uncharacteristic errors and Metamora collected five infield hits and stole five bases.
"It's been a long time since we have been beat like that," Buvid said. "It may have been 20 years."
Metamora's Brittany Wernsman, who was 3-for-3, walked to lead off the fourth. Krista Polanin singled. Maddie Anglin, who was 3-for-4, delivered an RBI single to give Metamora a 4-0 lead. The big blow came when Molly Cull crushed a two-run triple to left to give Metamora a 9-0 lead.
The Redbirds tacked on four more runs in the fifth highlighted by Polanin's two-run double to center. Polanin finished 2-for-5.
"We knew we played bad that inning," Buvid said. "You just hope you can get the next batter and hope to get out of there before being overwhelmed. If we make plays and play error-free it's probably 5 or 6 to nothing."
The Cheesemakers had six hits and were led by sophomore Kelsey Erickson, who was 2-for-2.
Buvid also knows he can count on Roberts' pitching.
"She is pitching well enough to keep us in games," he said. "(And) I learned Coree Lee can help us hitting in big situations."
Lee knows the Cheesemakers will benefit from the elite competition.
"We are learning to adjust to more difficult teams," Lee said. "That will only help us against the teams we play in Wisconsin."
