BRODHEAD - It didn't take Monroe junior Kari Jordan and the Cheesemakers long to find their swings again.
For Monroe, ranked sixth in the Division 2 Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association preseason poll, the offense picked up where it left off last year after a third straight trip to the WIAA Division 2 state tournament. The Cheesemakers pounded out 26 hits in two games and slugged their way to two season-opening wins - 9-4 over Beloit Memorial and 8-3 over Brodhead in a tournament Saturday, April 5 in Brodhead.
Jordan went 6-for-8 with four RBIs in the two games. Monroe senior Taylor O'Leksy went 4-for-7, senior Kirsten Vetterli went 4-for-8 with five RBIs and senior Ellie Grossen went 4-for-8.
"I want to try to get better and better every time," Jordan said. "It's my goal. I feel like Coach (Dale) Buvid and the coaches have prepared me very well for hitting inside and outside pitches. I was just trying to relax because I tense up a little bit."
Brodhead, ranked 10th in the Division 3 preseason poll, defeated Black Hawk 19-1 in five innings in its first game. Monticello went 2-0 in the tournament and Juda-Albany went 1-1. Monticello (3-0) knocked off Elkhorn 6-0 and beat Edgerton 2-1. Juda-Albany (3-0) slipped past Edgerton 2-1 in eight innings and defeated Elkhorn 3-1.
It marked the season-debuts of two new Monroe sophomore starters - Natalie Dillon at pitcher and Hannah Vetterli at catcher. Vetterli threw out two runners trying to steal against Brodhead. Senior Chandra McGuire, a first-team all-conference catcher last year, made her debut at second base.
"Our new battery (Natalie and Hannah) did a good job," Buvid said. "For the first time out we were proud of them. She (Dillon) showed some poise and was able to get out of some jams. She has to add some speed and pace to her pitches. I thought from the middle of the Beloit Memorial game on her change-up was really good and kept hitters off-balance. There is always room for growth."
Brodhead's Payton Wright delivered an RBI single to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead on the Cheesemakers in the first inning. Kirsten Vetterli came through with a game-tying RBI double in the second. O'Leksy lined a go-ahead two-run double to left in the third to give the Cheesemakers a 3-1 lead.
The Cardinals battled back and Taylor Gerlach's RBI single in the third cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 4-3. With the Cheesemakers clinging to a 4-3 lead in the fourth, the Cardinals had a golden scoring opportunity with the bases loaded and no outs, but squandered the chance. Dillon struck out Brodhead junior Amber Pickel and Brooke Boegli hit a fly ball to McGuire. The umpire ruled infield fly as McGuire caught the ball. McGuire fired the ball home and Vetterli made a pinpoint throw to third baseman Katie Holmes who tagged out a Brodhead runner for a back-breaking inning-ending double play.
"When I went out to the mound, I told them let's just give them one or two runs," Buvid said. "It was like a comedy of errors. That was huge. That was probably the turning point in the game."
Jordan went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, Kirsten Vetterli went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and McGuire and Grossen each were 2-for-4. The Cheesemakers had a two-out, two-run double by Jordan in the sixth for some insurance runs. The Cardinals' Boegeli went 2-for-4.
The Cheesemakers had four hits with two outs in the tournament that drove in runs. O'Leksy, who went 3-for-4 against Beloit Memorial, had a two-out, RBI double in the first and Jordan added a two-out RBI single to left to stake the Cheesemakers to a 2-0 lead.
"We had timely and big two-out clutch hits," Buvid said.
O'Leksy was excited to get the season started.
"It's mostly practice for us so we can get a feel for being outside instead of inside," O'Leksy said. "We have put in a lot of hard work in the offseason. I feel like we have a really strong hitting lineup. I feel like this is our strongest year for hitting."
Senior Sam Hose crushed a two-run home run to center in the second to extend the Cheesemakers' lead to 4-1. Hose said she didn't think the hit was a home run when she hit it.
"I was like 'Oh crap, that is a pop up,' Hose said. "I just started running the bases like I had to get there. I got to slow down and not run as much."
Kirsten Vetterli lined a two-run single to left in the sixth to put the game away for the Cheesemakers.
"That one kind of put the nail in the coffin," Buvid said.
Monticello received solid pitching from junior Courtney Leuzinger and senior Claire Bruns. Leuzinger pitched four shutout innings against Elkhorn to get the win. She gave up just one hit, struck out three and walked two. Bruns pitched three shutout innings in relief. She gave up three hits and struck out two.
Monticello senior Clare Geitzel went 2-for-4 to lead the Ponies.
In the game against Edgerton, junior Alyssah Kubly walked and scored on an error to give the Ponies a 1-0 lead in the second. Kubly stole third in the fourth and scored the go-ahead run on an overthrow at third. Bruns earned the win pitching five innings. She gave up one run on four hits. Leuzinger pitched two shutout innings in relief for the Ponies.
Geitzel, Jordan Garrison and Kubly each went 2-for-3.
"Edgerton is a good team," Monticello coach Duane Garrison said. "This was a confidence boost for my pitchers and everybody. We only walked three in two games."
The Ponies were coming off an 8-6 season-opening win against Cassville April 1.
"We got the win, but we struggled," Garrison said. "We played great defense in the tournament and this will be a confidence boost."
Juda-Albany senior pitcher Tabatha Davis posted two wins and struck out 21 in two games. Juda-Albany senior Katlynn Rhyner had an RBI single in the fourth against Edgerton to spark the Panthers. Freshman Alexis Goecks bunted for a single in the eighth and Sara Jordan scored the game-winning throw after a wild throw to first.
Davis pitched a complete game against the Crimson Tide and gave up one run on three hits.
"She had command of all of her pitches," Juda-Albany coach Bill Davis said. "She kept the hitters off-balance."
In the game against Elkhorn, Jordan delivered a two-run single in the sixth to help the Panthers clip the Elks. Freshman Riley Atkins went 2-for-2 with a triple to lead the Panthers. Davis tossed a complete game two-hitter. She struck out 10 and didn't issue a walk.
"I think it showed with a team you can count on anyone to do it," Davis said of the Panthers coming up with big hits. "We were scoring at different parts of our lineup. That makes you a lot more dangerous team. This will help get us ready for the Six Rivers Conference because there are a lot of good teams."
For Monroe, ranked sixth in the Division 2 Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association preseason poll, the offense picked up where it left off last year after a third straight trip to the WIAA Division 2 state tournament. The Cheesemakers pounded out 26 hits in two games and slugged their way to two season-opening wins - 9-4 over Beloit Memorial and 8-3 over Brodhead in a tournament Saturday, April 5 in Brodhead.
Jordan went 6-for-8 with four RBIs in the two games. Monroe senior Taylor O'Leksy went 4-for-7, senior Kirsten Vetterli went 4-for-8 with five RBIs and senior Ellie Grossen went 4-for-8.
"I want to try to get better and better every time," Jordan said. "It's my goal. I feel like Coach (Dale) Buvid and the coaches have prepared me very well for hitting inside and outside pitches. I was just trying to relax because I tense up a little bit."
Brodhead, ranked 10th in the Division 3 preseason poll, defeated Black Hawk 19-1 in five innings in its first game. Monticello went 2-0 in the tournament and Juda-Albany went 1-1. Monticello (3-0) knocked off Elkhorn 6-0 and beat Edgerton 2-1. Juda-Albany (3-0) slipped past Edgerton 2-1 in eight innings and defeated Elkhorn 3-1.
It marked the season-debuts of two new Monroe sophomore starters - Natalie Dillon at pitcher and Hannah Vetterli at catcher. Vetterli threw out two runners trying to steal against Brodhead. Senior Chandra McGuire, a first-team all-conference catcher last year, made her debut at second base.
"Our new battery (Natalie and Hannah) did a good job," Buvid said. "For the first time out we were proud of them. She (Dillon) showed some poise and was able to get out of some jams. She has to add some speed and pace to her pitches. I thought from the middle of the Beloit Memorial game on her change-up was really good and kept hitters off-balance. There is always room for growth."
Brodhead's Payton Wright delivered an RBI single to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead on the Cheesemakers in the first inning. Kirsten Vetterli came through with a game-tying RBI double in the second. O'Leksy lined a go-ahead two-run double to left in the third to give the Cheesemakers a 3-1 lead.
The Cardinals battled back and Taylor Gerlach's RBI single in the third cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 4-3. With the Cheesemakers clinging to a 4-3 lead in the fourth, the Cardinals had a golden scoring opportunity with the bases loaded and no outs, but squandered the chance. Dillon struck out Brodhead junior Amber Pickel and Brooke Boegli hit a fly ball to McGuire. The umpire ruled infield fly as McGuire caught the ball. McGuire fired the ball home and Vetterli made a pinpoint throw to third baseman Katie Holmes who tagged out a Brodhead runner for a back-breaking inning-ending double play.
"When I went out to the mound, I told them let's just give them one or two runs," Buvid said. "It was like a comedy of errors. That was huge. That was probably the turning point in the game."
Jordan went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, Kirsten Vetterli went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and McGuire and Grossen each were 2-for-4. The Cheesemakers had a two-out, two-run double by Jordan in the sixth for some insurance runs. The Cardinals' Boegeli went 2-for-4.
The Cheesemakers had four hits with two outs in the tournament that drove in runs. O'Leksy, who went 3-for-4 against Beloit Memorial, had a two-out, RBI double in the first and Jordan added a two-out RBI single to left to stake the Cheesemakers to a 2-0 lead.
"We had timely and big two-out clutch hits," Buvid said.
O'Leksy was excited to get the season started.
"It's mostly practice for us so we can get a feel for being outside instead of inside," O'Leksy said. "We have put in a lot of hard work in the offseason. I feel like we have a really strong hitting lineup. I feel like this is our strongest year for hitting."
Senior Sam Hose crushed a two-run home run to center in the second to extend the Cheesemakers' lead to 4-1. Hose said she didn't think the hit was a home run when she hit it.
"I was like 'Oh crap, that is a pop up,' Hose said. "I just started running the bases like I had to get there. I got to slow down and not run as much."
Kirsten Vetterli lined a two-run single to left in the sixth to put the game away for the Cheesemakers.
"That one kind of put the nail in the coffin," Buvid said.
Monticello received solid pitching from junior Courtney Leuzinger and senior Claire Bruns. Leuzinger pitched four shutout innings against Elkhorn to get the win. She gave up just one hit, struck out three and walked two. Bruns pitched three shutout innings in relief. She gave up three hits and struck out two.
Monticello senior Clare Geitzel went 2-for-4 to lead the Ponies.
In the game against Edgerton, junior Alyssah Kubly walked and scored on an error to give the Ponies a 1-0 lead in the second. Kubly stole third in the fourth and scored the go-ahead run on an overthrow at third. Bruns earned the win pitching five innings. She gave up one run on four hits. Leuzinger pitched two shutout innings in relief for the Ponies.
Geitzel, Jordan Garrison and Kubly each went 2-for-3.
"Edgerton is a good team," Monticello coach Duane Garrison said. "This was a confidence boost for my pitchers and everybody. We only walked three in two games."
The Ponies were coming off an 8-6 season-opening win against Cassville April 1.
"We got the win, but we struggled," Garrison said. "We played great defense in the tournament and this will be a confidence boost."
Juda-Albany senior pitcher Tabatha Davis posted two wins and struck out 21 in two games. Juda-Albany senior Katlynn Rhyner had an RBI single in the fourth against Edgerton to spark the Panthers. Freshman Alexis Goecks bunted for a single in the eighth and Sara Jordan scored the game-winning throw after a wild throw to first.
Davis pitched a complete game against the Crimson Tide and gave up one run on three hits.
"She had command of all of her pitches," Juda-Albany coach Bill Davis said. "She kept the hitters off-balance."
In the game against Elkhorn, Jordan delivered a two-run single in the sixth to help the Panthers clip the Elks. Freshman Riley Atkins went 2-for-2 with a triple to lead the Panthers. Davis tossed a complete game two-hitter. She struck out 10 and didn't issue a walk.
"I think it showed with a team you can count on anyone to do it," Davis said of the Panthers coming up with big hits. "We were scoring at different parts of our lineup. That makes you a lot more dangerous team. This will help get us ready for the Six Rivers Conference because there are a lot of good teams."
