MONROE - With Monroe junior ace pitcher Natalie Dillon in a seventh-inning jam against Edgerton in a WIAA Division 2 regional quarterfinal, she didn't let her mind wander back to Fort Atkinson's six-run comeback win in the regular season finale.
With the game-tying run at first base, Dillon struck out Edgerton's Kaitlyn Meyers to help the Cheesemakers hang on for a 2-1 win over the Crimson Tide Tuesday. With the win, Monroe (17-8) advances to play at No. 2 seed Delavan-Darien in a regional semifinal at 5 p.m. today.
"There were no flashbacks," Dillon said referencing the regular season finale where Fort Atkinson came back to beat Monroe. "For some reason, I have always struggled against lefties. I think it's important against a slapper to pitch it somewhere where she can hit it or pop it up. I feel like I have the defense behind me that can field it. Even if it's not the best we could have hit and pitched, it's nice to move on and show other teams what we are made of."
Monroe coach Dale Buvid sensed that it was a precarious situation in the seventh when Edgerton's Megan McNett lined a lead-off double. McNett scored on an infield single that glanced off Dillon's glove and rolled off the mound. That set the stage for the final strikeout.
"It's like a flashback to what just happened," Buvid said. "It was very much like the Fort Atkinson game on Saturday. We didn't want to put the tying run on second base. She (Dillon) made a pitch and they still tried to bunt through it. We didn't dominate them or outplay them by much. At this point, you just want to advance."
Dillon pitched a complete game to get the win. She gave up just one run on three hits. She struck out five and walked one. Dillon wasn't satisfied with her pitching.
"I need to pitch a lot better than I did tonight," she said. "I wasn't able to pitch it low. If you leave it up, it will go especially against the most talented hitters."
Early on, the Cheesemakers and Crimson Tide were locked in a pitcher's duel. The Cheesemakers broke through for two runs in the third off Edgerton pitcher Maddee Kleinshchmidt. Monroe junior Cassidy Pivonka singled to left and sophomore Carly Upmann reached on a fielder's choice. Junior Kaya Teasdale reached on a fielder's choice. Dillon then reached on an error and Brooke Adams knocked in a run on an infield single. Adams stole second base and Dillon scored when the ball sailed into center to give the Cheesemakers a 2-0 lead.
Monroe junior Hannah Vetterli went 2-for-3 to lead the Cheesemakers. Monroe had five of its eight hits in the final two innings.
"I think we felt the pressure because it could have possibly been our last game and we didn't want it to be our last game. If you can get on top when the other team makes errors early that really helps out. You never know if you are going to get another chance."
Buvid said the Cheesemakers train to hit a 54 to 55 mile-per-hour fastball and they were seeing pitches at 52.
"We had trouble staying back all game," Buvid said. "We were trying to jam their hitters because we didn't want anything getting up in the wind and I think they did the same to us.
"We feel fortunate. Sometimes you need to catch a break in the tournament. We did just enough to win."
With the game-tying run at first base, Dillon struck out Edgerton's Kaitlyn Meyers to help the Cheesemakers hang on for a 2-1 win over the Crimson Tide Tuesday. With the win, Monroe (17-8) advances to play at No. 2 seed Delavan-Darien in a regional semifinal at 5 p.m. today.
"There were no flashbacks," Dillon said referencing the regular season finale where Fort Atkinson came back to beat Monroe. "For some reason, I have always struggled against lefties. I think it's important against a slapper to pitch it somewhere where she can hit it or pop it up. I feel like I have the defense behind me that can field it. Even if it's not the best we could have hit and pitched, it's nice to move on and show other teams what we are made of."
Monroe coach Dale Buvid sensed that it was a precarious situation in the seventh when Edgerton's Megan McNett lined a lead-off double. McNett scored on an infield single that glanced off Dillon's glove and rolled off the mound. That set the stage for the final strikeout.
"It's like a flashback to what just happened," Buvid said. "It was very much like the Fort Atkinson game on Saturday. We didn't want to put the tying run on second base. She (Dillon) made a pitch and they still tried to bunt through it. We didn't dominate them or outplay them by much. At this point, you just want to advance."
Dillon pitched a complete game to get the win. She gave up just one run on three hits. She struck out five and walked one. Dillon wasn't satisfied with her pitching.
"I need to pitch a lot better than I did tonight," she said. "I wasn't able to pitch it low. If you leave it up, it will go especially against the most talented hitters."
Early on, the Cheesemakers and Crimson Tide were locked in a pitcher's duel. The Cheesemakers broke through for two runs in the third off Edgerton pitcher Maddee Kleinshchmidt. Monroe junior Cassidy Pivonka singled to left and sophomore Carly Upmann reached on a fielder's choice. Junior Kaya Teasdale reached on a fielder's choice. Dillon then reached on an error and Brooke Adams knocked in a run on an infield single. Adams stole second base and Dillon scored when the ball sailed into center to give the Cheesemakers a 2-0 lead.
Monroe junior Hannah Vetterli went 2-for-3 to lead the Cheesemakers. Monroe had five of its eight hits in the final two innings.
"I think we felt the pressure because it could have possibly been our last game and we didn't want it to be our last game. If you can get on top when the other team makes errors early that really helps out. You never know if you are going to get another chance."
Buvid said the Cheesemakers train to hit a 54 to 55 mile-per-hour fastball and they were seeing pitches at 52.
"We had trouble staying back all game," Buvid said. "We were trying to jam their hitters because we didn't want anything getting up in the wind and I think they did the same to us.
"We feel fortunate. Sometimes you need to catch a break in the tournament. We did just enough to win."
