JEFFERSON — The Cheesemakers saw their softball season come to an end June 16 in a 12-0 loss in the WIAA Division 2 regional championship against Jefferson, the state’s top-ranked team.
Jefferson (24-0) scored three runs in the second inning, then made it 7-0 after three and 12-0 through four innings. Eagles ace Claire Beck threw a no-hitter, striking out eight and walking just two Cheesemakers in the contest: Lizzy Snider and Katie Hayes. Sloane Ambrose was hit by a pitch.
Monroe’s Emma Wild was tagged for 10 earned runs on 11 hits and four walks. She also gave up a homer to Beck, who finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs at the plate. The Cheesemakers tallied six errors in the contest.
Monroe ends the season with an 11-11 record. Head coach Joe O’Leksy said his players just wanted a shot against the top-ranked team in the state.
“All we wanted was an opportunity to be in the regional final against the No. 1 team in the state,” O’Leksy said after Monroe defeated McFarland 13-7 on June 14 at Twining Park in Monroe.
I haven’t hit this well in the past. I hit more home runs this year, which is good — especially here in the playoffs. I practiced with my club team all the time (in the offseason), and I practiced on my own. I have more confidence this year. As a senior, I know what to look for and what to do — I’m not scared anymore like I was as a freshman.Alyse Maurer, Monroe senior
In the win over McFarland, Alyse Maurer finished 3-for-5 with a no-doubt home run in the third inning. She drove in five and scored twice.
“It felt really good,” Maurer said of the ball coming off the bat, adding that homering in a playoff game “is just awesome.”
Maurer was recently named first-team all-conference, and she attributed it to having her best offensive season in high school.
“I haven’t hit this well in the past. I hit more home runs this year, which is good — especially here in the playoffs,” Maurer said. “I practiced with my club team all the time (in the offseason), and I practiced on my own. I have more confidence this year. As a senior, I know what to look for and what to do — I’m not scared anymore like I was as a freshman.”
The three-run smash put the Cheesemakers ahead 4-1, giving the club some momentum when they needed it most.
“It was on an 0-2 count on a changeup — so she tracked it and hit it, and that was awesome,” Monroe coach Joe O’Leksy said.
Wild put down the Spartans in order in the third with two groundouts and an infield fly. Against McFarland, Wild was steady on the mound, allowing six hits with four walks in seven innings. Just two runs were earned.
“Emma battled. Her role on this team as pitcher is to not give up walks. She made them be hitters and put the bat on the ball. If she does that, it gives us a chance,” O’Leksy said.
In the bottom of the fourth, Maddy Leck drove in a run with a scoring double to center. Two batters later Lizzie Snider singled to right to score Leck. A couple of McFarland errors kept the inning alive, and Maurer hit a single up the middle to score two more runs to make it 8-1. Sydney Updike singled to right, plating Payton Johnson, but Updike was called out attempting to advance to second, ending the inning with Monroe ahead 9-1.
The lead was not safe, however, as McFarland would plate six runs in the top of the fourth on four hits, two walks and two Monroe errors. Wild collected her only strikeout of the night with the go-ahead run at the plate.
“We had a couple of errors in that inning. The thing is, we had an 8-run lead and it got brought back down to two — but if they had tied the game, it would have been a different story. But we found a way to end it,” O’Leksy said.
Monroe bounced right back, scoring four runs in the next half-inning to regain a 6-run advantage — a lead that would hold this time.
We had a couple of errors in that inning. The thing is, we had an 8-run lead and it got brought back down to two — but if they had tied the game, it would have been a different story. But we found a way to end it,.Monroe coach Joe O'Leksy
“Even though we had that big inning with those three errors, I thought our defense played really well,” O’Leksy said. “Lizzie Snider had a nice day at third base — she took away some hits there, and that was awesome. Syd Updike came back from a couple of miscues and then really drove the ball in her last at-bat. I was really happy with some of the things we did on the basepaths. We laid down some bunts. We struck the ball really well.”
Sloane Ambrose was hit by a pitch in the previous game and couldn’t hold a bat or throw a ball, so she courtesy ran much of the game. In the final inning, O’Leksy let her roam the outfield, and the move paid off. Ambrose made the final out, running down a shot in the gap with full extension.
“She’s a great outfielder, and I knew when it came off the bat that she had a chance. She made a great play,” O’Leksy said.
Snider finished the game 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBIs. Payton Johnson and Sloane Ambrose scored twice for Monroe, and Katie Hayes had a double and a walk.
“(Snider) has struggled this year. She’s batting .188 or something like that, and she came through. This pitcher wasn’t bad — she was throwing mid-50s with a changeup and she doesn’t walk a lot of people,” O’Leksy said.
