BRODHEAD - Beloit Turner freshman pitcher Kelsie Packard ran into a jam in the fifth inning and Brodhead coach B.J. Bockhop wanted his hitters to swing away.
With the Trojans clinging to a 2-1 lead, Brodhead freshman Erin Kloepping lined a single to right field leading off the fifth. Packard then walked Amanda Pickel before ending the threat by striking out the Cardinals' Taylor Douglas, Taurie Burns and Bri Hicks to get out of the jam.
Packard pitched a complete game and gave up just one run on five hits to lead the Trojans to a 6-1 win over Brodhead in a battle of Rock Valley South Conference unbeatens. She struck out 10 and walked five.
"I let them swing away because they are my captains," Bockhop said of his Nos. 2-4 hitters. "I have seen them do it before. I wouldn't say I would regret it. I might look at it differently again. That was a game-changer right there. I feel like that took some wind out of our sails."
Beloit Turner coach Bob Sulser has come to expect Packard will make big pitches in key moments. Both the Cardinals and Trojans left 10 on base.
"She has the ability to bear down in those situations and throw harder," said Sulser, whose team improved to 14-0 overall and 10-0 in the Rock Valley South. "I think it's the challenge of trying to come up a winner. I'm nervous every pitch. She just has the ability to bear down and handle it better than I do. You can't say enough about the intensity she pitches with."
Early on, the game had the makings of a pitcher's duel that might come down to the last at-bat. Burns doubled in the first for the Cardinals. She scored on a dropped fly ball in right to give the Cardinals (11-3, 9-1) a 1-0 lead. The Trojans pushed across the game-tying run on a dropped third strike with the bases loaded in the second.
Brodhead freshman Payton Wright, who went 2-for-3 with a walk, said Packard offered something the Cardinals haven't seen much of this season.
"In our conference, we don't have a lot of pitchers who throw that fast," Wright said. "She has a good rise ball. We haven't seen that this year. I think she caught us off guard a little bit.
"We feel like we can come back when we play them again in a couple of weeks. I think we know what we have to work on when we play them again."
The Trojans broke the game open with a four-run sixth off Pickel. Freshman Tessa Mikkelson doubled to left center and junior Kristina Bordner crushed an RBI double to right center to give the Trojans a 3-1 lead. Karlie Kasbohm then lined an RBI single that hit Hicks in the face.
Beloit Turner tacked on two more runs on a passed ball and a dropped third strike for a 6-1 lead.
Pickel pitched a complete game and gave up four earned runs on seven hits. She struck out six and walked six. Douglas was the designated player and didn't start at catcher for the Cardinals.
Bockhop said Douglas got progressively worse after having a player slide into her knee in a game last Thursday. Freshman Taylor Gerlach started at catcher for the Cardinals.
"She (Douglas) is day to day," Bockhop said.
Brodhead will play at Palmyra-Eagle in a doubleheader on Friday and will play at Beloit Turner on May 15.
"We are looking to Palmyra-Eagle on Friday," Bockhop said. "That has been our mentality this year. We can't sit and talk about Turner for two weeks. We still have to take care of business on our end. I feel good about our team."
With the Trojans clinging to a 2-1 lead, Brodhead freshman Erin Kloepping lined a single to right field leading off the fifth. Packard then walked Amanda Pickel before ending the threat by striking out the Cardinals' Taylor Douglas, Taurie Burns and Bri Hicks to get out of the jam.
Packard pitched a complete game and gave up just one run on five hits to lead the Trojans to a 6-1 win over Brodhead in a battle of Rock Valley South Conference unbeatens. She struck out 10 and walked five.
"I let them swing away because they are my captains," Bockhop said of his Nos. 2-4 hitters. "I have seen them do it before. I wouldn't say I would regret it. I might look at it differently again. That was a game-changer right there. I feel like that took some wind out of our sails."
Beloit Turner coach Bob Sulser has come to expect Packard will make big pitches in key moments. Both the Cardinals and Trojans left 10 on base.
"She has the ability to bear down in those situations and throw harder," said Sulser, whose team improved to 14-0 overall and 10-0 in the Rock Valley South. "I think it's the challenge of trying to come up a winner. I'm nervous every pitch. She just has the ability to bear down and handle it better than I do. You can't say enough about the intensity she pitches with."
Early on, the game had the makings of a pitcher's duel that might come down to the last at-bat. Burns doubled in the first for the Cardinals. She scored on a dropped fly ball in right to give the Cardinals (11-3, 9-1) a 1-0 lead. The Trojans pushed across the game-tying run on a dropped third strike with the bases loaded in the second.
Brodhead freshman Payton Wright, who went 2-for-3 with a walk, said Packard offered something the Cardinals haven't seen much of this season.
"In our conference, we don't have a lot of pitchers who throw that fast," Wright said. "She has a good rise ball. We haven't seen that this year. I think she caught us off guard a little bit.
"We feel like we can come back when we play them again in a couple of weeks. I think we know what we have to work on when we play them again."
The Trojans broke the game open with a four-run sixth off Pickel. Freshman Tessa Mikkelson doubled to left center and junior Kristina Bordner crushed an RBI double to right center to give the Trojans a 3-1 lead. Karlie Kasbohm then lined an RBI single that hit Hicks in the face.
Beloit Turner tacked on two more runs on a passed ball and a dropped third strike for a 6-1 lead.
Pickel pitched a complete game and gave up four earned runs on seven hits. She struck out six and walked six. Douglas was the designated player and didn't start at catcher for the Cardinals.
Bockhop said Douglas got progressively worse after having a player slide into her knee in a game last Thursday. Freshman Taylor Gerlach started at catcher for the Cardinals.
"She (Douglas) is day to day," Bockhop said.
Brodhead will play at Palmyra-Eagle in a doubleheader on Friday and will play at Beloit Turner on May 15.
"We are looking to Palmyra-Eagle on Friday," Bockhop said. "That has been our mentality this year. We can't sit and talk about Turner for two weeks. We still have to take care of business on our end. I feel good about our team."
