MONROE - Hitting can become contagious in softball. That's why Monroe High School junior Carly Upmann couldn't wait to get a bat in her hands during the first inning against Reedsburg on Tuesday.
Monroe batted around the order in a six-run first en route to a 10-0, six-inning nonconference win over Reedsburg at Twining Park.
"It really helps when you start off well," Upmann said. "It gives you the momentum to carry you on through the rest of the game. We have really been working hard in practice so we can adjust to different pitchers we see."
Monroe (6-1, 1-0 Badger South) tagged Reedsburg starting pitcher Morgan Robuck for five hits and six runs in the first.
Monroe senior Natalie Dillon reached on an error leading off the first. Senior teammate Brooke Adams ripped a single to left. Dillon and Adams pulled off a double steal to both move into scoring position. Upmann blooped an RBI single to right to give the Cheesemakers a 1-0 lead. Senior Hannah Vetterli then lined an RBI single to left. A second run scored on Vetterli's hit when the ball rolled under the left fielder's glove to give the Cheesemakers a 3-0 lead. Seniors Kylea Ambrose and Cassidy Pivonka walked. Senior Kaya Teasdale knocked in a run on a fielder's choice and junior Lexi Hilliard followed with an RBI single to give the Cheesemakers a 5-0 lead. Junior Sam Marty drove in a run on a groundout to extend the lead to 6-0.
The Cheesemakers dominated every aspect of the game from hitting (13 hits), to stealing bases (five) to pitching, with Dillon and Upmann combining on a two-hit shutout.
Upmann went 2-for-2 with two RBI. Adams went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs scored. Teasdale was 2-for-4.
"It was great to get off to a solid start," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said. "There were a lot of well-struck balls in the first inning. They didn't give it to us. We went out and got it."
Dillon was just as impressive on the mound. She pitched a two-hit shutout over five innings. She struck out 12 and didn't issue a walk. Dillon struck out the first four batters she faced and allowed just three base runners. Upmann pitched a shutout sixth.
Despite a dazzling performance, Dillon wasn't satisfied.
"Based on the numbers, it's good," Dillon said. "I wasn't getting all of my pitches over. I threw my fastball in good locations. I got my rise ball over the first couple of innings. Then in the last few innings it just slipped off of my fingers. It would have been nice to have my rise ball or drop ball. If we had played a tougher team it may have been different."
Buvid admitted the Beavers helped Dillon in some at-bats, but he liked the speed and control she displayed.
"She had some good rise balls early in the game, and she threw with good pace," he said. "They went fishing on a lot of unhittable balls. She threw some rise balls that jumped up a little bit and that is hard to do. Her strikeout to walk ratio is like 17 or 18 to one. That is phenomenal. We have had some pitchers some years at five to one, and we thought that was phenomenal. We will see if she can do it against the top-notch teams in our conference."
Adams lined a single to left leading off the second. She stole second and scored on the bullet Upmann hit to center to give the Cheesemakers a 7-0 lead.
The Cheesemakers had 15 players get at least one at-bat. Marty had a key RBI single to center in the third and junior Hannah Betthauser had an RBI single to left in the fifth to give the Cheesemakers a 9-0 lead. Junior Jessie Bennett went 1-for-2.
"We wanted to get everyone involved, win or lose," Buvid said. "Getting off to a good start made it easier. We wanted to give the juniors some opportunities. Their time to shine probably comes next year. If you have an injury you have to have some depth. We are trying to build some depth and get kids opportunities."
Monroe has three important conference games coming up. Monroe will play at Stoughton on Thursday before home games against Fort Atkinson April 19 and Monona Grove April 21. Stoughton, Fort Atkinson and Monona Grove are vying with the Cheesemakers for the conference title. Monroe is shooting for a fourth straight Badger South Conference championship.
"There is not a team in the conference that wants Monroe to win it again," Buvid said.
Monroe batted around the order in a six-run first en route to a 10-0, six-inning nonconference win over Reedsburg at Twining Park.
"It really helps when you start off well," Upmann said. "It gives you the momentum to carry you on through the rest of the game. We have really been working hard in practice so we can adjust to different pitchers we see."
Monroe (6-1, 1-0 Badger South) tagged Reedsburg starting pitcher Morgan Robuck for five hits and six runs in the first.
Monroe senior Natalie Dillon reached on an error leading off the first. Senior teammate Brooke Adams ripped a single to left. Dillon and Adams pulled off a double steal to both move into scoring position. Upmann blooped an RBI single to right to give the Cheesemakers a 1-0 lead. Senior Hannah Vetterli then lined an RBI single to left. A second run scored on Vetterli's hit when the ball rolled under the left fielder's glove to give the Cheesemakers a 3-0 lead. Seniors Kylea Ambrose and Cassidy Pivonka walked. Senior Kaya Teasdale knocked in a run on a fielder's choice and junior Lexi Hilliard followed with an RBI single to give the Cheesemakers a 5-0 lead. Junior Sam Marty drove in a run on a groundout to extend the lead to 6-0.
The Cheesemakers dominated every aspect of the game from hitting (13 hits), to stealing bases (five) to pitching, with Dillon and Upmann combining on a two-hit shutout.
Upmann went 2-for-2 with two RBI. Adams went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs scored. Teasdale was 2-for-4.
"It was great to get off to a solid start," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said. "There were a lot of well-struck balls in the first inning. They didn't give it to us. We went out and got it."
Dillon was just as impressive on the mound. She pitched a two-hit shutout over five innings. She struck out 12 and didn't issue a walk. Dillon struck out the first four batters she faced and allowed just three base runners. Upmann pitched a shutout sixth.
Despite a dazzling performance, Dillon wasn't satisfied.
"Based on the numbers, it's good," Dillon said. "I wasn't getting all of my pitches over. I threw my fastball in good locations. I got my rise ball over the first couple of innings. Then in the last few innings it just slipped off of my fingers. It would have been nice to have my rise ball or drop ball. If we had played a tougher team it may have been different."
Buvid admitted the Beavers helped Dillon in some at-bats, but he liked the speed and control she displayed.
"She had some good rise balls early in the game, and she threw with good pace," he said. "They went fishing on a lot of unhittable balls. She threw some rise balls that jumped up a little bit and that is hard to do. Her strikeout to walk ratio is like 17 or 18 to one. That is phenomenal. We have had some pitchers some years at five to one, and we thought that was phenomenal. We will see if she can do it against the top-notch teams in our conference."
Adams lined a single to left leading off the second. She stole second and scored on the bullet Upmann hit to center to give the Cheesemakers a 7-0 lead.
The Cheesemakers had 15 players get at least one at-bat. Marty had a key RBI single to center in the third and junior Hannah Betthauser had an RBI single to left in the fifth to give the Cheesemakers a 9-0 lead. Junior Jessie Bennett went 1-for-2.
"We wanted to get everyone involved, win or lose," Buvid said. "Getting off to a good start made it easier. We wanted to give the juniors some opportunities. Their time to shine probably comes next year. If you have an injury you have to have some depth. We are trying to build some depth and get kids opportunities."
Monroe has three important conference games coming up. Monroe will play at Stoughton on Thursday before home games against Fort Atkinson April 19 and Monona Grove April 21. Stoughton, Fort Atkinson and Monona Grove are vying with the Cheesemakers for the conference title. Monroe is shooting for a fourth straight Badger South Conference championship.
"There is not a team in the conference that wants Monroe to win it again," Buvid said.
