MONROE - The Monroe softball tournament turned into a game of mud ball Saturday.
Monroe (8-6, 4-0 Badger South) finished the tournament 1-2 and lost a second-place game to Freeport 16-1. Four Monroe pitchers battled through a rippling wind and struggled to get a grip on the ball as they combined to walk 10 batters and hit two.
After leadoff singles by junior Paisley Bennett and senior Maggie Schuttler, Monroe's offense went cold and sputtered as the Cheesemakers left nine runners on base. They left the bases loaded in the fifth and sixth innings. Monroe junior Abby Kennison's RBI single in the seventh prevented the shutout.
"I was disappointed we couldn't do anything on offense for six innings against probably their No. 3 pitcher," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said. "At times, we competed and at times we didn't. That's disappointing. Obviously, it's a sad way to end it. They played better in the conditions than we did."
Bennett and senior Coree Lee each went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead the Cheesemakers.
The Pretzels chased Monroe senior starting pitcher Meghan Roberts after four hits in the third inning. Freeport received RBI singles from Morgan Wagner and Anna Perkins to highlight a four-run third as the Cheesemakers went to junior Kristin McArdle in relief.
The Pretzels added to their 7-0 lead with a nine-run seventh, which came on just three hits. Monroe pitchers Jessica Beckman and Brandi Trewartha combined to walk four and hit two batters. The big blow in the seventh came on Sami Kostenbader's grand slam to left, which was her second home run of the tournament.
Freeport's Danielle Flack was a thorn in the side of the Cheesemakers, as she went 4-for-5 and Lindsay Ellinor was 3-5 with 2 RBI.
Monroe 6,
Mount Horeb 3
The Cheesemakers played through a persistent rain throughout the day and opened the tournament with a 6-3 win over Mount Horeb in pool play.
The Cheesemakers struck right off the bat in the second. McArdle reached on an error, opening the door to a three-run second. Junior Gwen Sutter, who was 2-for-3, singled. Monroe senior Dana Gempeler (2-2) followed by blooping an RBI single to give the Cheesemakers a 2-0 lead.
Mount Horeb rallied in the third by scoring two runs on an error to tie the score at 3-3. The Cheesemakers answered in the bottom of the third. Monroe sophomore Kelsey Erickson walked leading off the third, stole third and scored the go-ahead run when the ball bounced away to give Monroe a 4-3 lead.
Senior Emily Rufenacht added an RBI single in the fourth, and Schuttler smoked an RBI double to left for insurance runs.
Roberts pitched a complete game and gave up three runs on three hits, allowed three walks and struck out five.
Appleton West 6, Monroe 4
Squandered scoring opportunities and uncharacteristic fielding miscues cost Monroe in a loss to Appleton West.
Monroe rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the third as Sutter reached on an error and junior Kendell Niffenegger and Bennett each singled to center to load the bases. Rufenacht came through with an RBI single, which also scored a second run when the throw squirted away at first and it cut the Terrors' lead to 4-3.
The Cheesemakers pounded out 14 hits, but squandered several golden scoring opportunities, and stranded 10 runners on base. In the fifth, Bennett and Schuttler both singled leading off the inning. With two on and no outs, Rufenacht hit a grounder to Appleton West third baseman Alicia Hahnemann. Hahnemann whirled and faked a throw to first, then tagged out Bennett, who was breaking late for home. Hahnemann then threw to third for a double play.
"That was a huge play," Buvid said. "She went for the fake. If she waits, we would have had the bases loaded. It's a good play by them and a base running mistake by us."
The Cheesemakers loaded the bases after two outs in the sixth, but couldn't push across a run. Monroe had another bases-loaded, no-out scoring opportunity in the seventh, but came away with just one run. Rufenacht, Trewartha and Erickson each singled in the seventh. McArdle reached on an error, which scored a run and cut Appleton West's lead to 6-4. Any thoughts of celebrating a comeback victory were dashed when Lee bounced into a double play.
Trewartha went 3-4 with a triple to lead a 14-hit attack. Bennett and Rufenacht each were 2-4. Trewartha's confidence in the Cheesemakers mounting a comeback never wavered.
"When we got our hitting going, everything started to fall our way," Trewartha said. "I felt like we could really do it. Once we get the pressure on us and once we start hitting, it seems like everyone does it."
Monroe had an uncharacteristic three errors and three of the six runs surrendered were unearned.
"Once we got behind, we kept battling," Buvid said. "We just made too many mistakes to win. Their tweeners kind of fell in and ours were caught."
Roberts pitched three innings and two of the four runs she gave up on five hits were earned. McArdle pitched four innings in relief and gave up one earned run on four hits with one strikeout and no walks.
"For pitching, it's just a tough day," Buvid said. "Kristin did an admirable job. She kept us in the game and gave us a chance."
Monroe (8-6, 4-0 Badger South) finished the tournament 1-2 and lost a second-place game to Freeport 16-1. Four Monroe pitchers battled through a rippling wind and struggled to get a grip on the ball as they combined to walk 10 batters and hit two.
After leadoff singles by junior Paisley Bennett and senior Maggie Schuttler, Monroe's offense went cold and sputtered as the Cheesemakers left nine runners on base. They left the bases loaded in the fifth and sixth innings. Monroe junior Abby Kennison's RBI single in the seventh prevented the shutout.
"I was disappointed we couldn't do anything on offense for six innings against probably their No. 3 pitcher," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said. "At times, we competed and at times we didn't. That's disappointing. Obviously, it's a sad way to end it. They played better in the conditions than we did."
Bennett and senior Coree Lee each went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead the Cheesemakers.
The Pretzels chased Monroe senior starting pitcher Meghan Roberts after four hits in the third inning. Freeport received RBI singles from Morgan Wagner and Anna Perkins to highlight a four-run third as the Cheesemakers went to junior Kristin McArdle in relief.
The Pretzels added to their 7-0 lead with a nine-run seventh, which came on just three hits. Monroe pitchers Jessica Beckman and Brandi Trewartha combined to walk four and hit two batters. The big blow in the seventh came on Sami Kostenbader's grand slam to left, which was her second home run of the tournament.
Freeport's Danielle Flack was a thorn in the side of the Cheesemakers, as she went 4-for-5 and Lindsay Ellinor was 3-5 with 2 RBI.
Monroe 6,
Mount Horeb 3
The Cheesemakers played through a persistent rain throughout the day and opened the tournament with a 6-3 win over Mount Horeb in pool play.
The Cheesemakers struck right off the bat in the second. McArdle reached on an error, opening the door to a three-run second. Junior Gwen Sutter, who was 2-for-3, singled. Monroe senior Dana Gempeler (2-2) followed by blooping an RBI single to give the Cheesemakers a 2-0 lead.
Mount Horeb rallied in the third by scoring two runs on an error to tie the score at 3-3. The Cheesemakers answered in the bottom of the third. Monroe sophomore Kelsey Erickson walked leading off the third, stole third and scored the go-ahead run when the ball bounced away to give Monroe a 4-3 lead.
Senior Emily Rufenacht added an RBI single in the fourth, and Schuttler smoked an RBI double to left for insurance runs.
Roberts pitched a complete game and gave up three runs on three hits, allowed three walks and struck out five.
Appleton West 6, Monroe 4
Squandered scoring opportunities and uncharacteristic fielding miscues cost Monroe in a loss to Appleton West.
Monroe rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the third as Sutter reached on an error and junior Kendell Niffenegger and Bennett each singled to center to load the bases. Rufenacht came through with an RBI single, which also scored a second run when the throw squirted away at first and it cut the Terrors' lead to 4-3.
The Cheesemakers pounded out 14 hits, but squandered several golden scoring opportunities, and stranded 10 runners on base. In the fifth, Bennett and Schuttler both singled leading off the inning. With two on and no outs, Rufenacht hit a grounder to Appleton West third baseman Alicia Hahnemann. Hahnemann whirled and faked a throw to first, then tagged out Bennett, who was breaking late for home. Hahnemann then threw to third for a double play.
"That was a huge play," Buvid said. "She went for the fake. If she waits, we would have had the bases loaded. It's a good play by them and a base running mistake by us."
The Cheesemakers loaded the bases after two outs in the sixth, but couldn't push across a run. Monroe had another bases-loaded, no-out scoring opportunity in the seventh, but came away with just one run. Rufenacht, Trewartha and Erickson each singled in the seventh. McArdle reached on an error, which scored a run and cut Appleton West's lead to 6-4. Any thoughts of celebrating a comeback victory were dashed when Lee bounced into a double play.
Trewartha went 3-4 with a triple to lead a 14-hit attack. Bennett and Rufenacht each were 2-4. Trewartha's confidence in the Cheesemakers mounting a comeback never wavered.
"When we got our hitting going, everything started to fall our way," Trewartha said. "I felt like we could really do it. Once we get the pressure on us and once we start hitting, it seems like everyone does it."
Monroe had an uncharacteristic three errors and three of the six runs surrendered were unearned.
"Once we got behind, we kept battling," Buvid said. "We just made too many mistakes to win. Their tweeners kind of fell in and ours were caught."
Roberts pitched three innings and two of the four runs she gave up on five hits were earned. McArdle pitched four innings in relief and gave up one earned run on four hits with one strikeout and no walks.
"For pitching, it's just a tough day," Buvid said. "Kristin did an admirable job. She kept us in the game and gave us a chance."
