Buvid retires
DELAVAN - Monroe High School softball coach Dale Buvid coached his final game for the Cheesemakers in the WIAA Division 2 regional final on Friday.
After 33 years as the Monroe softball coach, Buvid is retiring from coaching. He turned in his resignation earlier this year. In his more than three decades of coaching, Buvid amassed a record of 505-236 to move him into third as the all-time winningest coach in the history of softball in Wisconsin. He guided the Cheesemakers to seven state tournament appearances, one state championship in 2003, four state runner-up finishes and 11 conference titles.
"They knew it was coming," Buvid said of the Cheesemakers players and his decision to retire. "I just didn't want it to be about me."
Monroe finished the season 20-9. Buvid's career winning percentage was 68 percent.
Buvid taught science and computer science for 36 years, including 33 years at Monroe High School before retiring after the 2012 school year.
In his final game as the Monroe High School softball coach, Buvid rolled the dice and had senior Natalie Dillon intentionally walk Delavan-Darien's Jennah Speth in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Delavan-Darien's Morgyn DeLara then crushed a grand slam to jump-start the Comets who came back for a 5-1 win in a WIAA Division 2 regional championship game.
Speth entered the game hitting .580 with 12 home runs, and DeLara entered the game hitting .470 with five home runs.
"We were playing with fire," Buvid said. "Do you intentionally walk her (DeLara) or Speth who is hitting .580 with 12 home runs. It's one pitch she (Dillon) would like to have back. She got the pitch up just a little bit. It was close. If we get out of that it would have probably been 1-1, and we are still playing.
"There is a fine line. Give Delavan-Darien credit. They found a way to do it last year and this year."
Delavan-Darien (22-6), ranked third in the Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association Division 2 poll, advances to the sectional semifinal to play Beloit Turner on Tuesday.
Monroe finishes the season 20-9.
The Cheesemakers took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Monroe senior Hannah Vetterli doubled. Senior teammate Kylea Ambrose had an RBI groundout to score courtesy runner Madison Katzenberger.
Speth pitched a complete game and limited the Cheesemakers to just three hits. The other two hits came from a lead-off single from Ambrose in the second and a two-out single from Brooke Adams in the third. Speth struck out 12 and walked one.
Dillon in her final prep game pitched a complete game and gave up five runs on eight hits. She struck out five and walked one.
