MONROE - The light turned green for the girls in red when two outs were recorded at Twining Park on Tuesday evening.
Monroe rallied for seven runs with two down in the bottom of the third inning to build a 10-0 lead that was the final score after just five innings in a de facto Badger South softball opener against visiting Oregon. Nearly two weeks ago, the true opener with McFarland was suspended with Monroe up 9-2. Tuesday, the Lady Cheesemakers packed their hitting cleats.
"We had a lot of well-struck balls tonight," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said. "We had big two-out hits, which we haven't always done."
Katie Lenz and Maggie Schuttler both had 2-run hits with two outs in the big inning.
"Those are two kids that have been scuffling at the plate a little and they came through with some really big numbers for us," Buvid said.
With Monroe already up 3-0, two runs first came around in the third on a throwing error by Panthers third baseman Courtney Erfurth, as Brandi Trewartha legged out an infield single. Then Lenz, who plays the hot corner for Monroe, cracked a two-run knock back through the box.
After leadoff hitter Kayla Rackow drove in a run with her second hit, the centerfielder Schuttler ripped a two-run hit to center that you could hang your clothes on. That clutch shot chased Panther starter Char Leikness from the game, as Monroe hit the hot stuff and had patience with the slower junk.
"In the last couple of years, teams have really attacked us with off-speed pitches," Buvid said.
After a three-run first, Lenz started another potential rally in the second by hitting a laser double over leftfielder Brianna Riefert's head.
"It feels great because I've been struggling a little bit this season," Lenz said. "To get up there and really rip one felt awesome."
While the rally quickly fizzled, a new confidence was born for the senior, who admitted aloud, "I'm having a great day," as she pulled up at first during the seven-run rally. Contagious clutch hitting up and down the lineup is a breath of fresh air after Monroe labored through two eight-inning games to win the Watertown Tournament title April 5.
Senior pitcher Renee Schuttler matched the offense's prowess with nine strikeouts over the distance, including a stretch of seven straight between the first and third innings.
She locked up three batters looking during that stretch, as she busted out the paint brush on the inside and outside corners of the plate.
"My speed really isn't that great right now, so it's all about my accuracy," Schuttler said as she pitched into a stiff wind Tuesday night. "The outside fastball is pretty much my strikeout pitch."
The strikeout stretch began with two runners on base and one out in the first inning.
"When she ran into trouble in the first inning and had to bear down, she was able to find that extra mile an hour," Buvid said.
Lenz confessed that hitting comes a lot easier when the club's pitchers are on cruise control.
"Having Renee pitching that amazingly on the mound makes it so much easier," Lenz said. "Then it's much more stress-free to just go up there and hit the ball."
Junior shorstop Emily Rufenacht had the lone RBI in the first inning and sophomore Gwen Sutter rapped a grounder to short that was thrown away, plating the other two runs.
While he was beaming over the offensive output, Buvid perhaps would have liked one of the two rallies to come up a clutch hit short.
"You kind of wish it was still 9-0 so you could get some more kids work, but we'll have plenty of chances this week," Buvid said.
The Badger South schedule will continue Thursday night for the Cheese when they travel to Monona Grove.
Monroe rallied for seven runs with two down in the bottom of the third inning to build a 10-0 lead that was the final score after just five innings in a de facto Badger South softball opener against visiting Oregon. Nearly two weeks ago, the true opener with McFarland was suspended with Monroe up 9-2. Tuesday, the Lady Cheesemakers packed their hitting cleats.
"We had a lot of well-struck balls tonight," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said. "We had big two-out hits, which we haven't always done."
Katie Lenz and Maggie Schuttler both had 2-run hits with two outs in the big inning.
"Those are two kids that have been scuffling at the plate a little and they came through with some really big numbers for us," Buvid said.
With Monroe already up 3-0, two runs first came around in the third on a throwing error by Panthers third baseman Courtney Erfurth, as Brandi Trewartha legged out an infield single. Then Lenz, who plays the hot corner for Monroe, cracked a two-run knock back through the box.
After leadoff hitter Kayla Rackow drove in a run with her second hit, the centerfielder Schuttler ripped a two-run hit to center that you could hang your clothes on. That clutch shot chased Panther starter Char Leikness from the game, as Monroe hit the hot stuff and had patience with the slower junk.
"In the last couple of years, teams have really attacked us with off-speed pitches," Buvid said.
After a three-run first, Lenz started another potential rally in the second by hitting a laser double over leftfielder Brianna Riefert's head.
"It feels great because I've been struggling a little bit this season," Lenz said. "To get up there and really rip one felt awesome."
While the rally quickly fizzled, a new confidence was born for the senior, who admitted aloud, "I'm having a great day," as she pulled up at first during the seven-run rally. Contagious clutch hitting up and down the lineup is a breath of fresh air after Monroe labored through two eight-inning games to win the Watertown Tournament title April 5.
Senior pitcher Renee Schuttler matched the offense's prowess with nine strikeouts over the distance, including a stretch of seven straight between the first and third innings.
She locked up three batters looking during that stretch, as she busted out the paint brush on the inside and outside corners of the plate.
"My speed really isn't that great right now, so it's all about my accuracy," Schuttler said as she pitched into a stiff wind Tuesday night. "The outside fastball is pretty much my strikeout pitch."
The strikeout stretch began with two runners on base and one out in the first inning.
"When she ran into trouble in the first inning and had to bear down, she was able to find that extra mile an hour," Buvid said.
Lenz confessed that hitting comes a lot easier when the club's pitchers are on cruise control.
"Having Renee pitching that amazingly on the mound makes it so much easier," Lenz said. "Then it's much more stress-free to just go up there and hit the ball."
Junior shorstop Emily Rufenacht had the lone RBI in the first inning and sophomore Gwen Sutter rapped a grounder to short that was thrown away, plating the other two runs.
While he was beaming over the offensive output, Buvid perhaps would have liked one of the two rallies to come up a clutch hit short.
"You kind of wish it was still 9-0 so you could get some more kids work, but we'll have plenty of chances this week," Buvid said.
The Badger South schedule will continue Thursday night for the Cheese when they travel to Monona Grove.
