MILTON - With a chance to clinch at least a share of the Badger South title Friday night, the Monroe softball team swept a doubleheader against Milton, winning 4-0 and 6-2.
Monroe got off to a quick start in game one, scoring a run in the first on a Taylor O'Leksy single that scored Chandra McGuire. The Cheesemakers picked up another run in the second on an RBI single from Lauren Hendrickson.
"Taylor got us that first run, got us off to a nice start. She got on top of a pitch, which we've been asking kids to do," said Monroe coach Dale Buvid. "In the second inning, the bottom of the lineup did a nice job. (Kirsten) Vetterli reached on an error and then we got consecutive one-out singles from Briana Katzenberger and Lauren Hendrickson.
"It was nice to get some production from the bottom of the lineup. Briana and Lauren did a nice job to get us a big run in the second."
In the second game, it was Milton who got off to a fast start, as the Red Hawks took a 2-0 lead after two innings. Monroe scored in the third, though, to draw within one. In the bottom of the fifth, Ellie Grossen walked and stole second before advancing to third on a wild pitch and then scoring on another wild pitch to tie the game at two. Later that inning, Heather Barta hit a two-RBI single that gave the Cheese the lead for good.
"Barta's two-run single was huge. She just ripped it," Buvid said. "That hit made a huge difference in our quest to win a conference championship. That's a conference championship-type hit."
Becca Armstrong started both games in the circle for Monroe and went the distance in both.
"She's our ace, our horse," Buvid said. "Playing for a conference championship, we knew she was going to be in."
Monroe (18-2, 10-0) plays at the Lena-Winslow tournament today. Buvid said the Cheesemakers would be resting Armstrong and giving some other players opportunities.
"She might be running on empty. She's pitched a lot," Buvid said of Armstrong. "I think the innings are starting to add up. We'll get her some rest. We'll play some different people. People who didn't play a lot tonight. We'll try to spread the playing time around."
The Cheesemakers host Fort Atkinson on Monday, with a chance to lock up the Badger South title outright.
"Gonna have to play very well again. They pounded Stoughton tonight," Buvid said. "I think we'll get an even better game from them than we did up there."
Barneveld 4, Juda-Albany 3
JUDA - Late errors struck the Juda-Albany softball team again, as the Panthers closed out their conference schedule with a loss to Barneveld despite jumping out to a three-run lead midway through the game.
The Panthers opened the scoring in the first inning on the bat of Tabatha Davis, who hit an RBI double to put Juda-Albany out front 1-0. The Panthers added to that lead in the fourth inning when Carlie Peters hit a two-RBI single with the bases loaded, putting Juda-Albany up 3-0.
But just as it has happened at other times this season, the Panthers committed crucial errors in the final frame to allow the Eagles back in the game.
After putting a run up in the fifth inning, Barneveld led off the seventh with a hit. A trio of errors and timely hits followed, leading to three runs in the inning. The Eagles took the lead 4-3 and closed the door in the bottom half of the inning to hand Juda-Albany the loss.
"The way the year is going, they all sting a little bit," said Juda-Albany coach Bill Davis, of the late loss. "Defensively, it's kind of been our story all year. You play a good six innings of ball ... and then all of a sudden you make an error or two and they throw a hit in there, and things go south. We gotta find a way to get over that little hump."
Tabatha Davis and Kirstie Kauk both finished 2-for-3, and Peters finished 1-for-3 with the two-RBI hit.
Bill Davis said offense is one aspect of his team's game that he is pleased with.
"Offensively, I think we're doing the right things," he said.
The Panthers will host a tournament at their home field in Juda. With all the rescheduling earlier in the season and their field being soaked, the Panthers are excited to have a whole day's worth of action close to home.
"It's really nice. We didn't get many home games (this year)," Bill Davis said. "It's nice to play on the home field. Earlier in the year the field was wet, so we had to play our games in Albany."
Juda-Albany (8-7, 5-5 Six River East) will take on Stockton (Ill.) and Racine Lutheran with their first two games of the tournament.
Mineral Point 8, Darlington 0
MINERAL POINT - Darlington couldn't get their bats going against Mineral Point's Beth Wood Friday night, mustering just two hits off Wood in the loss.
Wood pitched the complete game, striking out 12 and walking 1.
"The girls just had a hard time with her," said Darlington coach Karen Bennett. "She's just a phenomenal pitcher."
Jena Foulker pitched all seven innings for the Redbirds. She struck out six while walking two and giving up eleven hits.
"First couple innings is when they got the hits," Bennett said. "As she got going she got better."
Cassidy Cox and Jacke Johnson were the only two Redbirds to pick up hits.
Darlington (6-9, 4-8 SWAL) plays Mineral Point again on Monday and hosts Cuba City on Tuesday before beginning WIAA tournament play. Bennett said she'd like to see her team get going at the plate again before the start of postseason play.
"I'm going to be looking for more consistent hitting," she said. "The last couple games, we've been in a slump. We're playing good defense, we just need to get the bats going again."
Monroe got off to a quick start in game one, scoring a run in the first on a Taylor O'Leksy single that scored Chandra McGuire. The Cheesemakers picked up another run in the second on an RBI single from Lauren Hendrickson.
"Taylor got us that first run, got us off to a nice start. She got on top of a pitch, which we've been asking kids to do," said Monroe coach Dale Buvid. "In the second inning, the bottom of the lineup did a nice job. (Kirsten) Vetterli reached on an error and then we got consecutive one-out singles from Briana Katzenberger and Lauren Hendrickson.
"It was nice to get some production from the bottom of the lineup. Briana and Lauren did a nice job to get us a big run in the second."
In the second game, it was Milton who got off to a fast start, as the Red Hawks took a 2-0 lead after two innings. Monroe scored in the third, though, to draw within one. In the bottom of the fifth, Ellie Grossen walked and stole second before advancing to third on a wild pitch and then scoring on another wild pitch to tie the game at two. Later that inning, Heather Barta hit a two-RBI single that gave the Cheese the lead for good.
"Barta's two-run single was huge. She just ripped it," Buvid said. "That hit made a huge difference in our quest to win a conference championship. That's a conference championship-type hit."
Becca Armstrong started both games in the circle for Monroe and went the distance in both.
"She's our ace, our horse," Buvid said. "Playing for a conference championship, we knew she was going to be in."
Monroe (18-2, 10-0) plays at the Lena-Winslow tournament today. Buvid said the Cheesemakers would be resting Armstrong and giving some other players opportunities.
"She might be running on empty. She's pitched a lot," Buvid said of Armstrong. "I think the innings are starting to add up. We'll get her some rest. We'll play some different people. People who didn't play a lot tonight. We'll try to spread the playing time around."
The Cheesemakers host Fort Atkinson on Monday, with a chance to lock up the Badger South title outright.
"Gonna have to play very well again. They pounded Stoughton tonight," Buvid said. "I think we'll get an even better game from them than we did up there."
Barneveld 4, Juda-Albany 3
JUDA - Late errors struck the Juda-Albany softball team again, as the Panthers closed out their conference schedule with a loss to Barneveld despite jumping out to a three-run lead midway through the game.
The Panthers opened the scoring in the first inning on the bat of Tabatha Davis, who hit an RBI double to put Juda-Albany out front 1-0. The Panthers added to that lead in the fourth inning when Carlie Peters hit a two-RBI single with the bases loaded, putting Juda-Albany up 3-0.
But just as it has happened at other times this season, the Panthers committed crucial errors in the final frame to allow the Eagles back in the game.
After putting a run up in the fifth inning, Barneveld led off the seventh with a hit. A trio of errors and timely hits followed, leading to three runs in the inning. The Eagles took the lead 4-3 and closed the door in the bottom half of the inning to hand Juda-Albany the loss.
"The way the year is going, they all sting a little bit," said Juda-Albany coach Bill Davis, of the late loss. "Defensively, it's kind of been our story all year. You play a good six innings of ball ... and then all of a sudden you make an error or two and they throw a hit in there, and things go south. We gotta find a way to get over that little hump."
Tabatha Davis and Kirstie Kauk both finished 2-for-3, and Peters finished 1-for-3 with the two-RBI hit.
Bill Davis said offense is one aspect of his team's game that he is pleased with.
"Offensively, I think we're doing the right things," he said.
The Panthers will host a tournament at their home field in Juda. With all the rescheduling earlier in the season and their field being soaked, the Panthers are excited to have a whole day's worth of action close to home.
"It's really nice. We didn't get many home games (this year)," Bill Davis said. "It's nice to play on the home field. Earlier in the year the field was wet, so we had to play our games in Albany."
Juda-Albany (8-7, 5-5 Six River East) will take on Stockton (Ill.) and Racine Lutheran with their first two games of the tournament.
Mineral Point 8, Darlington 0
MINERAL POINT - Darlington couldn't get their bats going against Mineral Point's Beth Wood Friday night, mustering just two hits off Wood in the loss.
Wood pitched the complete game, striking out 12 and walking 1.
"The girls just had a hard time with her," said Darlington coach Karen Bennett. "She's just a phenomenal pitcher."
Jena Foulker pitched all seven innings for the Redbirds. She struck out six while walking two and giving up eleven hits.
"First couple innings is when they got the hits," Bennett said. "As she got going she got better."
Cassidy Cox and Jacke Johnson were the only two Redbirds to pick up hits.
Darlington (6-9, 4-8 SWAL) plays Mineral Point again on Monday and hosts Cuba City on Tuesday before beginning WIAA tournament play. Bennett said she'd like to see her team get going at the plate again before the start of postseason play.
"I'm going to be looking for more consistent hitting," she said. "The last couple games, we've been in a slump. We're playing good defense, we just need to get the bats going again."
