JUDA - After seeing a steady diet of outside pitches, Juda-Albany freshman Hailey Kammerer understood an adjustment was needed.
With Juda-Albany and Southwestern locked in a tie game, Kammerer smashed an inside pitch for a game-winning RBI double to center field in the bottom of the sixth inning to lift the Panthers to a 3-2 win over Southwestern in a WIAA Division 4 regional championship game Friday.
"It felt amazing," Kammerer said, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles. "I knew I needed to do my job for the team. She was throwing a lot of outside pitches and I had to adjust. I think I adjusted pretty well. When I saw the inside pitch, I knew I had to turn on it and get my hips through."
Juda-Albany freshman Nicki Becker turned in a dominating pitching performance. Becker pitched a complete game and struck out 14. She struck out the first eight batters she faced and retired 12 straight. After getting the final out on a pop up, Juda-Albany junior catcher Jessica Crull ran out to the mound and Becker jumped into her arms to celebrate the program's first regional title since 2012. Senior teammate Molly Marass then doused Juda-Albany coach Bill Davis with a water bucket after the game.
"It's awesome," Becker said. "I just can't believe it. I'm so excited. It gives us all the confidence in the world."
Davis said, "I took one for the team."
With the win, Juda-Albany (22-4) advances to the sectional semifinal where the Panthers will play Belmont on Tuesday in Monticello. The Panthers beat Belmont 8-5 in a game earlier this season.
Kammerer doubled to left field in the third to help the Panthers' set up their first scoring opportunity. Marass followed with an RBI single up the middle to score Kammerer. Marass went to second on the throw home and raced to third when the ball sailed over the catcher. Crull followed with a sacrifice fly to drive in a run to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.
Becker cruised through the first three innings striking out eight straight. Then a downpour hit and there was a 10-minute rain delay. After the delay, Becker retired two straight in the fourth to complete four no-hit innings.
The Wildcats didn't get their first base runner until the fifth when Rachel Myers led off with an infield single. Southwestern's Rachel Mueller then delivered a key two-out RBI single to cut the Panthers' lead to 2-1.
"After the rain delay, the ball got heavier and it's harder to make it move," Davis said. "She (Becker) has put in all the work, but she is still just a freshman. She gets nervous just like everyone else. For a freshman to come up and make clutch pitches is huge."
The Panthers had runners on every inning except the first and had the leadoff hitter on in five of their six at-bats. However, Juda-Albany went 2-for-13 hitting with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base.
"We would like to get that percentage up," Davis said of not stranding base runners. "It still goes back to getting the leadoff hitter on. I would love to get the leadoff hitter on every inning with no outs. It puts so much more pressure on the defense."
Southwestern rallied in the sixth to tie it. Becker gave up a leadoff double to center. The game-tying run scored on an error to tie the game at 2. That set the stage for Kammerer's heroics in the bottom of the sixth.
"As a freshman, she (Kammerer) has been in those situations a lot for us this year," Davis said. "The poor girl gets in those situations all the time. If I go back and look in the book she is probably hitting .500 in those situations. She has been clutch all year. As a freshman, that is impressive."
With Juda-Albany and Southwestern locked in a tie game, Kammerer smashed an inside pitch for a game-winning RBI double to center field in the bottom of the sixth inning to lift the Panthers to a 3-2 win over Southwestern in a WIAA Division 4 regional championship game Friday.
"It felt amazing," Kammerer said, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles. "I knew I needed to do my job for the team. She was throwing a lot of outside pitches and I had to adjust. I think I adjusted pretty well. When I saw the inside pitch, I knew I had to turn on it and get my hips through."
Juda-Albany freshman Nicki Becker turned in a dominating pitching performance. Becker pitched a complete game and struck out 14. She struck out the first eight batters she faced and retired 12 straight. After getting the final out on a pop up, Juda-Albany junior catcher Jessica Crull ran out to the mound and Becker jumped into her arms to celebrate the program's first regional title since 2012. Senior teammate Molly Marass then doused Juda-Albany coach Bill Davis with a water bucket after the game.
"It's awesome," Becker said. "I just can't believe it. I'm so excited. It gives us all the confidence in the world."
Davis said, "I took one for the team."
With the win, Juda-Albany (22-4) advances to the sectional semifinal where the Panthers will play Belmont on Tuesday in Monticello. The Panthers beat Belmont 8-5 in a game earlier this season.
Kammerer doubled to left field in the third to help the Panthers' set up their first scoring opportunity. Marass followed with an RBI single up the middle to score Kammerer. Marass went to second on the throw home and raced to third when the ball sailed over the catcher. Crull followed with a sacrifice fly to drive in a run to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.
Becker cruised through the first three innings striking out eight straight. Then a downpour hit and there was a 10-minute rain delay. After the delay, Becker retired two straight in the fourth to complete four no-hit innings.
The Wildcats didn't get their first base runner until the fifth when Rachel Myers led off with an infield single. Southwestern's Rachel Mueller then delivered a key two-out RBI single to cut the Panthers' lead to 2-1.
"After the rain delay, the ball got heavier and it's harder to make it move," Davis said. "She (Becker) has put in all the work, but she is still just a freshman. She gets nervous just like everyone else. For a freshman to come up and make clutch pitches is huge."
The Panthers had runners on every inning except the first and had the leadoff hitter on in five of their six at-bats. However, Juda-Albany went 2-for-13 hitting with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base.
"We would like to get that percentage up," Davis said of not stranding base runners. "It still goes back to getting the leadoff hitter on. I would love to get the leadoff hitter on every inning with no outs. It puts so much more pressure on the defense."
Southwestern rallied in the sixth to tie it. Becker gave up a leadoff double to center. The game-tying run scored on an error to tie the game at 2. That set the stage for Kammerer's heroics in the bottom of the sixth.
"As a freshman, she (Kammerer) has been in those situations a lot for us this year," Davis said. "The poor girl gets in those situations all the time. If I go back and look in the book she is probably hitting .500 in those situations. She has been clutch all year. As a freshman, that is impressive."
