WATERTOWN - Dale Buvid had his girls gladly working overtime again Saturday in capturing the title at the Watertown softball tournament.
It took eight innings for the Lady Cheesemakers to get the 'W' in both of their games, the first a 4-3 comeback thriller over Waunakee in the semifinals and a 2-1 victory over Madison La Follette in the finals.
Monroe was nearly bounced to the loser's bracket by the Badger North's Warriors when a Brandi Trewartha grounder to second base was mishandled on the flip to the shortstop covering.
"It was kind of a minor miracle," Buvid said.
In the bottom of the eighth, Monroe starter Renee Schuttler, who'd already racked up 13 strikeouts, smacked a game-winning RBI-single between short and third to plate leadoff hitter Kayla Rackow.
Rackow had four hits and Buvid called her effort "fabulous."
Buvid's sophomores also played a big role, most notably with Trewartha cracking a ringing double into the gap in the sixth to draw within one at 3-2.
Monroe took down La Follette, a preseason state-ranked Division 1 squad, behind the heavy-throwing hand of Carlie Olsen.
Finding her offspeed stuff fairly ineffective, Olsen dialed up the heat.
"She threw fastball after fastball after fastball," Buvid said. "She's just what you call a power pitcher."
And she held her own against Michelle Jones, who fanned six to Olsen's seven.
"Here's a kid that didn't get the ball in the really big games last year and she went toe to toe with a phenomenal D-1 pitcher and maybe even had a better game," Buvid said.
Schuttler led off the top of the fourth with a double before scoring on a Gwen Sutter single through the middle. The Lancers got even in the bottom of the sixth as Emily Rufenacht flipped badly to Rackow at second before an RBI-single.
Rufenacht, who's been very solid since moving to shortstop, quickly made amends with a Texas-league single to right field before swiping second base.
Schuttler continued to wear the Wonder Woman cape as she drilled another rocket down the third baseline to plate the junior Rufenacht for the winner.
Weather permitting, the Cheesemakers continue their Badger South schedule Tuesday at Verona.
It took eight innings for the Lady Cheesemakers to get the 'W' in both of their games, the first a 4-3 comeback thriller over Waunakee in the semifinals and a 2-1 victory over Madison La Follette in the finals.
Monroe was nearly bounced to the loser's bracket by the Badger North's Warriors when a Brandi Trewartha grounder to second base was mishandled on the flip to the shortstop covering.
"It was kind of a minor miracle," Buvid said.
In the bottom of the eighth, Monroe starter Renee Schuttler, who'd already racked up 13 strikeouts, smacked a game-winning RBI-single between short and third to plate leadoff hitter Kayla Rackow.
Rackow had four hits and Buvid called her effort "fabulous."
Buvid's sophomores also played a big role, most notably with Trewartha cracking a ringing double into the gap in the sixth to draw within one at 3-2.
Monroe took down La Follette, a preseason state-ranked Division 1 squad, behind the heavy-throwing hand of Carlie Olsen.
Finding her offspeed stuff fairly ineffective, Olsen dialed up the heat.
"She threw fastball after fastball after fastball," Buvid said. "She's just what you call a power pitcher."
And she held her own against Michelle Jones, who fanned six to Olsen's seven.
"Here's a kid that didn't get the ball in the really big games last year and she went toe to toe with a phenomenal D-1 pitcher and maybe even had a better game," Buvid said.
Schuttler led off the top of the fourth with a double before scoring on a Gwen Sutter single through the middle. The Lancers got even in the bottom of the sixth as Emily Rufenacht flipped badly to Rackow at second before an RBI-single.
Rufenacht, who's been very solid since moving to shortstop, quickly made amends with a Texas-league single to right field before swiping second base.
Schuttler continued to wear the Wonder Woman cape as she drilled another rocket down the third baseline to plate the junior Rufenacht for the winner.
Weather permitting, the Cheesemakers continue their Badger South schedule Tuesday at Verona.
