MONROE - The Monroe High School softball team got two solid pitching performances from senior Natalie Dillon and some timely hitting to sweep a doubleheader from Oregon on Tuesday at Twining Park.
Monroe (13-5, 7-2 Badger South) defeated Oregon 6-0 in the first game and rallied to beat the Panthers 5-2 in the second game.
Dillon pitched a five-hit complete-game shutout to get the win in the first game. She struck out five and walked two.
Monroe senior Cassidy Pivonka went 3-for-3 with one RBI to lead the Cheesemakers. Junior teammate Carly Upmann finished 2-for-3 with one RBI and sophomore Alysha Witt was 2-for-3.
The doubleheader sweep coupled with Milton's 2-1 win over Stoughton on Tuesday puts the Cheesemakers one game behind Fort Atkinson atop the Badger South Conference. Monroe still has games left against Stoughton on May 10 at home and the Blackhawks on May 13 in Fort Atkinson.
"It's huge," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said of Monroe's comeback to sweep the doubleheader. "It gives us a realistic chance of winning a fourth straight conference title. We control our own destiny if we win out."
The Cheesemakers jumped on the Panthers with a four-run first inning. Upmann, senior Hannah Vetterli and Pivonka each had RBI singles in the first.
In the second game, Oregon led 2-0 after four innings. The Cheesemakers played small ball in the fifth to push across a run. Pivonka led off the fifth with a walk. Senior Kaya Teasdale moved pinch-runner Lexi Hilliard to third base with a sacrifice bunt. Junior Jessie Bennett then knocked in Hilliard with a squeeze bunt.
"It's difficult giving up two outs for just one run," Buvid said. "We had the top of our lineup coming up in the sixth and seventh innings, and I wanted to score at least one run."
Upmann led off the sixth with a single. Vetterli laid down a bunt but reached on an error. Witt laid down a squeeze bunt to score Upmann to tie the game at 2. Both Pivonka and Teasdale hit grounders off the pitcher's glove and reached on errors. When Teasdale reached on an error, courtesy runner Hannah Betthauser scored a run to give the Cheesemakers a 3-2 lead.
Monroe senior Kylea Ambrose had a clutch two-run double in the seventh.
"Kylea got all of that one," Buvid said. "She hit a rocket. Those were huge tack-on runs because they had No. 9 and the top of their lineup coming up."
Monroe (13-5, 7-2 Badger South) defeated Oregon 6-0 in the first game and rallied to beat the Panthers 5-2 in the second game.
Dillon pitched a five-hit complete-game shutout to get the win in the first game. She struck out five and walked two.
Monroe senior Cassidy Pivonka went 3-for-3 with one RBI to lead the Cheesemakers. Junior teammate Carly Upmann finished 2-for-3 with one RBI and sophomore Alysha Witt was 2-for-3.
The doubleheader sweep coupled with Milton's 2-1 win over Stoughton on Tuesday puts the Cheesemakers one game behind Fort Atkinson atop the Badger South Conference. Monroe still has games left against Stoughton on May 10 at home and the Blackhawks on May 13 in Fort Atkinson.
"It's huge," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said of Monroe's comeback to sweep the doubleheader. "It gives us a realistic chance of winning a fourth straight conference title. We control our own destiny if we win out."
The Cheesemakers jumped on the Panthers with a four-run first inning. Upmann, senior Hannah Vetterli and Pivonka each had RBI singles in the first.
In the second game, Oregon led 2-0 after four innings. The Cheesemakers played small ball in the fifth to push across a run. Pivonka led off the fifth with a walk. Senior Kaya Teasdale moved pinch-runner Lexi Hilliard to third base with a sacrifice bunt. Junior Jessie Bennett then knocked in Hilliard with a squeeze bunt.
"It's difficult giving up two outs for just one run," Buvid said. "We had the top of our lineup coming up in the sixth and seventh innings, and I wanted to score at least one run."
Upmann led off the sixth with a single. Vetterli laid down a bunt but reached on an error. Witt laid down a squeeze bunt to score Upmann to tie the game at 2. Both Pivonka and Teasdale hit grounders off the pitcher's glove and reached on errors. When Teasdale reached on an error, courtesy runner Hannah Betthauser scored a run to give the Cheesemakers a 3-2 lead.
Monroe senior Kylea Ambrose had a clutch two-run double in the seventh.
"Kylea got all of that one," Buvid said. "She hit a rocket. Those were huge tack-on runs because they had No. 9 and the top of their lineup coming up."
