VERONA - Brandi Trewartha made sure she wasn't even in the yard let alone near the doghouse in Monday evening's 2-0 victory at Verona.
Monroe's sophomore right fielder drove in her club's only two runs long before a mental lapse on the basepaths prevented the Cheese from spreading it on to create some space atop the Badger South.
Trewartha plated the first tally in the top of the second after catcher Kylie Kaiser singled off Wildcat ace Beverly Nordin's glove and was relieved by courtesy runner, junior Stephanie Hoover.
Hoover was running off the crack of the bat with two outs and scampered home easily as Trewartha's towering drive climbed all the way to the left-center warning track where Verona center fielder Sadie Ewing leapt but had it glance off her glove.
But the Cheesemakers failed to throw the early knockout blow in the third. Leadoff batter Kayla Rackow and center fielder Maggie Schuttler singled back-to-back with both runners moving up a station on a bad handle by Ewing before Emily Rufenacht bounced back to Nordin. Then Monroe starter and cleanup hitter Renee Schuttler crushed a ball wide of third that Julia Burns speared on the backhand and gunned across to end the rally.
After the Cheesemakers couldn't make good on their golden opportunity, Trewartha struck again in the top of the sixth by driving home Hoover again after Kaiser singled for the third time, this one a humpback Texas-leaguer to center. Gwen Sutter drew a six-pitch walk before Trewartha slapped a two-strike rocket back through the box to bring around the nimble-footed Hoover.
"At times we've had some troubles getting the key hits, but tip your hat to Brandi, she's been able to come through for us," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said. "That's especially crucial if you can get it in the bottom half of your lineup."
Katie Lenz loaded the bases with a single to left before Trewartha got doubled up between second and third on a high popup off the bat of pinch-hitter Chelsey Metcalf.
Unfazed and coming off her only inning without registering a strikeout in the sixth, Renee Schuttler mowed down the first and last of just three batters faced in the seventh. The final 'K' ran the tally to 11 for the stoic senior, but the satisfaction of getting the 'W' was written all over her face when she celebrated with Kaiser and the rest of her squad thereafter.
"Strikeouts do get me fired up, but all we want to do is win," Schuttler said. "That's the only reason we came here."
Monroe's No. 5 through No. 8 batters combined to go 6-for-11. "Commander" Kaiser, as she's affectionately dubbed by her teammates, went 3-for-3 without ever hitting the ball hard.
"You'll take a Texas-league hit here or there and she's hit enough hard ones that she deserves a few of those," Buvid said.
Monroe turns around quickly to host Stoughton in another Badger South game tonight at Twining Park.
Monroe's sophomore right fielder drove in her club's only two runs long before a mental lapse on the basepaths prevented the Cheese from spreading it on to create some space atop the Badger South.
Trewartha plated the first tally in the top of the second after catcher Kylie Kaiser singled off Wildcat ace Beverly Nordin's glove and was relieved by courtesy runner, junior Stephanie Hoover.
Hoover was running off the crack of the bat with two outs and scampered home easily as Trewartha's towering drive climbed all the way to the left-center warning track where Verona center fielder Sadie Ewing leapt but had it glance off her glove.
But the Cheesemakers failed to throw the early knockout blow in the third. Leadoff batter Kayla Rackow and center fielder Maggie Schuttler singled back-to-back with both runners moving up a station on a bad handle by Ewing before Emily Rufenacht bounced back to Nordin. Then Monroe starter and cleanup hitter Renee Schuttler crushed a ball wide of third that Julia Burns speared on the backhand and gunned across to end the rally.
After the Cheesemakers couldn't make good on their golden opportunity, Trewartha struck again in the top of the sixth by driving home Hoover again after Kaiser singled for the third time, this one a humpback Texas-leaguer to center. Gwen Sutter drew a six-pitch walk before Trewartha slapped a two-strike rocket back through the box to bring around the nimble-footed Hoover.
"At times we've had some troubles getting the key hits, but tip your hat to Brandi, she's been able to come through for us," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said. "That's especially crucial if you can get it in the bottom half of your lineup."
Katie Lenz loaded the bases with a single to left before Trewartha got doubled up between second and third on a high popup off the bat of pinch-hitter Chelsey Metcalf.
Unfazed and coming off her only inning without registering a strikeout in the sixth, Renee Schuttler mowed down the first and last of just three batters faced in the seventh. The final 'K' ran the tally to 11 for the stoic senior, but the satisfaction of getting the 'W' was written all over her face when she celebrated with Kaiser and the rest of her squad thereafter.
"Strikeouts do get me fired up, but all we want to do is win," Schuttler said. "That's the only reason we came here."
Monroe's No. 5 through No. 8 batters combined to go 6-for-11. "Commander" Kaiser, as she's affectionately dubbed by her teammates, went 3-for-3 without ever hitting the ball hard.
"You'll take a Texas-league hit here or there and she's hit enough hard ones that she deserves a few of those," Buvid said.
Monroe turns around quickly to host Stoughton in another Badger South game tonight at Twining Park.
