MONROE - The Monroe softball team ran into two of the state's top pitchers and finished fourth place in a tournament the Cheesemakers hosted on Saturday at Twining Park.
Monroe went 1-2 in the three games it played on Saturday. The Cheesemakers edged Juda-Albany 3-2 in eight innings in the first game of pool play. Delavan-Darien (13-0), ranked No. 4 in Division 2, then outdueled Monroe beating the Cheesemakers 2-0. In a third-place game, Orangeville took advantage of two Cheesemaker errors in the seventh inning to pull out a comeback 6-5 win over Monroe. Delavan-Darien defeated Freeport 5-2 to win the championship.
Monroe used the tournament as an opportunity to raise money for breast cancer research. Monroe coach Dale Buvid said though donations by teams and fans, the event raised $750.
"It was really high quality softball," Buvid said. "Delavan-Darien and Orangeville were both undefeated coming in. Delavan-Darien has a Division I pitcher and a solid team around her. They are probably the favorites to win the state championship in Division 2. Juda-Albany is one of the top ranked teams in the state and went to state last year."
Juda-Albany sophomore Nicki Becker pitched eight innings and gave up two earned runs on three hits. She struck out 12 and walked one.
"I had never seen her pitch," Buvid said. "Whenever we have played them in summer ball, she was playing with her traveling team. She was better than we have heard. She was very impressive. She's the real deal. She's really good."
Juda-Albany senior Jessica Crull, who will play softball at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside next season, went 3-for-3 and hit a solo home run to left off Monroe senior pitcher Natalie Dillon in the sixth inning to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead. Monroe (8-5, 2-2 Badger South) battled back to tie it at 2 in the bottom of the sixth. Dillon delivered an RBI triple to center and the Cheesemakers tied it on a safety squeeze bunt.
Dillon pitched out of a jam in the eighth. Juda-Albany junior Alexis Goecks tripled to right and Dillon walked a batter. Dillon got two pivotal strikeouts and intentionally walked Crull. She then induced a groundout to end the threat.
In the bottom of the eighth, Dillon reached on an error. Monroe junior Carly Upmann came through with the game-winning RBI double to give the Cheesemakers the 3-2 win.
Dillon pitched a complete game to get the win. In eight innings, she gave up two earned runs on eight hits. She struck out seven and walked one.
Monroe then lost a showdown to Delavan-Darien 2-0. Delavan-Darien pitcher Jenna Speth pitched a complete game two-hit shutout to propel the Comets. Speth struck out 13 and also hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to give the Comets a 2-0 lead.
"She (Speth) throws hard and has good movement," Buvid said. "She's the best pitcher we have seen this year."
The two hits for the Cheesemakers came on Upmann's triple to right center in the first inning and a single by senior Kylea Ambrose in the fourth.
Upmann pitched a complete game and gave up just two runs on seven hits. She struck out two and walked three.
"Carly pitched extremely well," Buvid said.
Monroe had several players leave early for the school Revue in the third-place game against Orangeville. Monroe senior Brooke Adams crushed a two-run home run to left in the first inning to give the Cheesemakers a 2-0 lead.
Dillon went 2-for-3 to lead the Cheesemakers. The Cheesemakers had nine hits.
The Broncos rallied with a five-run fifth to take a 5-2 lead over the Cheesemakers. Two errors and a wild pitch in the seventh led to the game-winning unearned run for the Broncos in the seventh.
Dillon started and pitched 41⁄3 innings. She gave up five runs on eight hits, but they were all unearned. Upmann pitched 21⁄3 innings and allowed just one unearned run.
"It's disappointing," Buvid said. "We lost a game we should have won against Orangeville. Our pitching deserved a better fate."
Monroe went 1-2 in the three games it played on Saturday. The Cheesemakers edged Juda-Albany 3-2 in eight innings in the first game of pool play. Delavan-Darien (13-0), ranked No. 4 in Division 2, then outdueled Monroe beating the Cheesemakers 2-0. In a third-place game, Orangeville took advantage of two Cheesemaker errors in the seventh inning to pull out a comeback 6-5 win over Monroe. Delavan-Darien defeated Freeport 5-2 to win the championship.
Monroe used the tournament as an opportunity to raise money for breast cancer research. Monroe coach Dale Buvid said though donations by teams and fans, the event raised $750.
"It was really high quality softball," Buvid said. "Delavan-Darien and Orangeville were both undefeated coming in. Delavan-Darien has a Division I pitcher and a solid team around her. They are probably the favorites to win the state championship in Division 2. Juda-Albany is one of the top ranked teams in the state and went to state last year."
Juda-Albany sophomore Nicki Becker pitched eight innings and gave up two earned runs on three hits. She struck out 12 and walked one.
"I had never seen her pitch," Buvid said. "Whenever we have played them in summer ball, she was playing with her traveling team. She was better than we have heard. She was very impressive. She's the real deal. She's really good."
Juda-Albany senior Jessica Crull, who will play softball at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside next season, went 3-for-3 and hit a solo home run to left off Monroe senior pitcher Natalie Dillon in the sixth inning to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead. Monroe (8-5, 2-2 Badger South) battled back to tie it at 2 in the bottom of the sixth. Dillon delivered an RBI triple to center and the Cheesemakers tied it on a safety squeeze bunt.
Dillon pitched out of a jam in the eighth. Juda-Albany junior Alexis Goecks tripled to right and Dillon walked a batter. Dillon got two pivotal strikeouts and intentionally walked Crull. She then induced a groundout to end the threat.
In the bottom of the eighth, Dillon reached on an error. Monroe junior Carly Upmann came through with the game-winning RBI double to give the Cheesemakers the 3-2 win.
Dillon pitched a complete game to get the win. In eight innings, she gave up two earned runs on eight hits. She struck out seven and walked one.
Monroe then lost a showdown to Delavan-Darien 2-0. Delavan-Darien pitcher Jenna Speth pitched a complete game two-hit shutout to propel the Comets. Speth struck out 13 and also hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to give the Comets a 2-0 lead.
"She (Speth) throws hard and has good movement," Buvid said. "She's the best pitcher we have seen this year."
The two hits for the Cheesemakers came on Upmann's triple to right center in the first inning and a single by senior Kylea Ambrose in the fourth.
Upmann pitched a complete game and gave up just two runs on seven hits. She struck out two and walked three.
"Carly pitched extremely well," Buvid said.
Monroe had several players leave early for the school Revue in the third-place game against Orangeville. Monroe senior Brooke Adams crushed a two-run home run to left in the first inning to give the Cheesemakers a 2-0 lead.
Dillon went 2-for-3 to lead the Cheesemakers. The Cheesemakers had nine hits.
The Broncos rallied with a five-run fifth to take a 5-2 lead over the Cheesemakers. Two errors and a wild pitch in the seventh led to the game-winning unearned run for the Broncos in the seventh.
Dillon started and pitched 41⁄3 innings. She gave up five runs on eight hits, but they were all unearned. Upmann pitched 21⁄3 innings and allowed just one unearned run.
"It's disappointing," Buvid said. "We lost a game we should have won against Orangeville. Our pitching deserved a better fate."
