MONROE - Monroe senior Kasey Gutzmer knew how tantalizing Juda-Albany senior Amber Ramos' rise ball could be in the batter's box.
"Coach Buvid talked to us all week about how we had to lay off the rise ball," Gutzmer said.
Gutzmer went 2-for-3 and scored two runs including the game-winner on a passed ball in the sixth inning to give the Cheesemakers a 2-1 win over Juda-Albany in the first round of the Monroe Invitational on Saturday.
"If we try to hit that pitch (rise ball) it's almost unhittable," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said. "I thought we did a nice job of laying off and making her throw other pitches. It's not easy to do."
Monroe split its final two games in the tournament, falling 6-1 to perennial state powerhouse Stevens Point before rallying past Freeport 7-6.
The victory against the Pretzels was the 400th for Buvid.
"Winning two out of three for us is really nice in this tournament. We're pretty happy with the results," Buvid said.
It was a pitcher's duel between Monroe junior Becca Armstrong and Ramos. Juda-Albany junior Jessica Rackow led off the game with a single and senior C.J. Dunwiddie lined an RBI double to score Rackow for a 1-0 Panthers lead.
Ramos gave up two runs on four hits. She struck out 12, walked six and hit one. Armstrong gave up one run on six hits. She struck out five and walked three.
Ramos pitched out of a jam in the fifth. Monroe sophomore Taylor O'Leksy singled to center and sophomore Chandra McGuire walked. But Ramos got sophomore Kayla Updike to ground out and struck out seniors Alyssa Montgomery and Sarah Alexander.
Armstrong also pitched out of several jams. In the third, Juda-Albany's Morganne Goecks lined a double to left and Ramos walked. With two on and one out, Armstrong struck out Dunwiddie and Tabatha Davis to get off the hook.
Gutzmer led off the sixth with a bunt single and sophomore Katie Holmes bunted a ball over Dunwiddie's head at third base for a single. Gutzmer scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball.
"We got just enough offense with our small game with the bunts and the stolen bases," Buvid said.
The Panthers wouldn't go away quietly.
Goecks, who was 2-for-3, singled in the seventh. It looked like Ramos would reach on an error by Monroe sophomore Ellie Grossen. However, Grossen was able to tag out Goecks straying too far off second to end the game.
"She is a smart ballplayer," Buvid said of Grossen. "That is why she is playing shortstop this year. We like her poise and toughness. She is developing into a shortstop."
Juda-Albany coach Bill Davis said his team played well against Monroe.
"It wasn't that we didn't get some hits, it was that we didn't get that timely hit," Davis said. "They've got a pretty good thrower and Amber threw well, too."
Stevens Point used a four-run third inning to take control against the Cheesemakers, the big blow a three-run homer by Taylor Smola off Armstrong.
"It wasn't a cheapy, she got it all," Buvid said of the home run to left-center field. "Great players sometimes make great plays."
O'Leksy went 2-for-4 and Gutzmer doubled to lead Monroe against Stevens Point. The Cheesemakers outhit the Pointers 6-5. Armstrong went five innings and allowed four hits - three of them in the third inning - while striking out four and walking three. All four runs were earned.
"We got off to a good start and had more scoring chances early in the game than they did," Buvid said. "I wish we would have done one or two things a little bit better against Stevens Point to make it a little more competitive. But they are who they are for a reason - they're really good."
Monroe fell behind 6-2 in its final game against Freeport, but used a four-run fourth inning to tie the game 6-6. Junior Lauren Hendrickson had an RBI single, Grossen ripped a two-run double and Holmes added a run-scoring single.
Hendrickson also started the sixth inning with a single and later scored the winning run on a fielder's choice. She finished 2-for-2 with a walk. O'Leksy also was 2-for-2 against the Pretzels.
Buvid lauded No. 2 pitcher Samantha Solberg, a junior who pitched the final five innings against Freeport. She allowed five runs - none earned - on five hits while striking out four and walking two.
"She's a very high-quality No. 2 pitcher to have on your staff," Buvid said. "We're trying to be a bit more careful with Becca and keep her number of pitches and innings down, and Samantha is making it easy to do that."
Juda-Albany finished 0-3 in the tournament, falling 5-1 to Freeport and 8-3 to Waterford.
Against Freeport, Ramos had 10 strikeouts while allowing three hits and two walks. She departed the game after four innings with the score tied 1-1.
The Pretzels scored four runs off Davis in the fifth to take control of the game.
Senior Courtney Moisan led the Panthers offensively, going 2-for-3 with an RBI single.
Against Waterford, Rackow went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Ramos and junior Kirstie Kauk each had RBIs. Davis started and went four innings, allowing four runs on five hits while walking three and striking out two.
"We had eight hits against Waterford, we're just not getting timely hits," said Davis, whose team dropped to 4-5 on the season.. "Hopefully we'll improve on that and move in the right direction offensively."
"Coach Buvid talked to us all week about how we had to lay off the rise ball," Gutzmer said.
Gutzmer went 2-for-3 and scored two runs including the game-winner on a passed ball in the sixth inning to give the Cheesemakers a 2-1 win over Juda-Albany in the first round of the Monroe Invitational on Saturday.
"If we try to hit that pitch (rise ball) it's almost unhittable," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said. "I thought we did a nice job of laying off and making her throw other pitches. It's not easy to do."
Monroe split its final two games in the tournament, falling 6-1 to perennial state powerhouse Stevens Point before rallying past Freeport 7-6.
The victory against the Pretzels was the 400th for Buvid.
"Winning two out of three for us is really nice in this tournament. We're pretty happy with the results," Buvid said.
It was a pitcher's duel between Monroe junior Becca Armstrong and Ramos. Juda-Albany junior Jessica Rackow led off the game with a single and senior C.J. Dunwiddie lined an RBI double to score Rackow for a 1-0 Panthers lead.
Ramos gave up two runs on four hits. She struck out 12, walked six and hit one. Armstrong gave up one run on six hits. She struck out five and walked three.
Ramos pitched out of a jam in the fifth. Monroe sophomore Taylor O'Leksy singled to center and sophomore Chandra McGuire walked. But Ramos got sophomore Kayla Updike to ground out and struck out seniors Alyssa Montgomery and Sarah Alexander.
Armstrong also pitched out of several jams. In the third, Juda-Albany's Morganne Goecks lined a double to left and Ramos walked. With two on and one out, Armstrong struck out Dunwiddie and Tabatha Davis to get off the hook.
Gutzmer led off the sixth with a bunt single and sophomore Katie Holmes bunted a ball over Dunwiddie's head at third base for a single. Gutzmer scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball.
"We got just enough offense with our small game with the bunts and the stolen bases," Buvid said.
The Panthers wouldn't go away quietly.
Goecks, who was 2-for-3, singled in the seventh. It looked like Ramos would reach on an error by Monroe sophomore Ellie Grossen. However, Grossen was able to tag out Goecks straying too far off second to end the game.
"She is a smart ballplayer," Buvid said of Grossen. "That is why she is playing shortstop this year. We like her poise and toughness. She is developing into a shortstop."
Juda-Albany coach Bill Davis said his team played well against Monroe.
"It wasn't that we didn't get some hits, it was that we didn't get that timely hit," Davis said. "They've got a pretty good thrower and Amber threw well, too."
Stevens Point used a four-run third inning to take control against the Cheesemakers, the big blow a three-run homer by Taylor Smola off Armstrong.
"It wasn't a cheapy, she got it all," Buvid said of the home run to left-center field. "Great players sometimes make great plays."
O'Leksy went 2-for-4 and Gutzmer doubled to lead Monroe against Stevens Point. The Cheesemakers outhit the Pointers 6-5. Armstrong went five innings and allowed four hits - three of them in the third inning - while striking out four and walking three. All four runs were earned.
"We got off to a good start and had more scoring chances early in the game than they did," Buvid said. "I wish we would have done one or two things a little bit better against Stevens Point to make it a little more competitive. But they are who they are for a reason - they're really good."
Monroe fell behind 6-2 in its final game against Freeport, but used a four-run fourth inning to tie the game 6-6. Junior Lauren Hendrickson had an RBI single, Grossen ripped a two-run double and Holmes added a run-scoring single.
Hendrickson also started the sixth inning with a single and later scored the winning run on a fielder's choice. She finished 2-for-2 with a walk. O'Leksy also was 2-for-2 against the Pretzels.
Buvid lauded No. 2 pitcher Samantha Solberg, a junior who pitched the final five innings against Freeport. She allowed five runs - none earned - on five hits while striking out four and walking two.
"She's a very high-quality No. 2 pitcher to have on your staff," Buvid said. "We're trying to be a bit more careful with Becca and keep her number of pitches and innings down, and Samantha is making it easy to do that."
Juda-Albany finished 0-3 in the tournament, falling 5-1 to Freeport and 8-3 to Waterford.
Against Freeport, Ramos had 10 strikeouts while allowing three hits and two walks. She departed the game after four innings with the score tied 1-1.
The Pretzels scored four runs off Davis in the fifth to take control of the game.
Senior Courtney Moisan led the Panthers offensively, going 2-for-3 with an RBI single.
Against Waterford, Rackow went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Ramos and junior Kirstie Kauk each had RBIs. Davis started and went four innings, allowing four runs on five hits while walking three and striking out two.
"We had eight hits against Waterford, we're just not getting timely hits," said Davis, whose team dropped to 4-5 on the season.. "Hopefully we'll improve on that and move in the right direction offensively."
