MONONA - Monroe freshman Sydney Updike crushed a grand slam in the eighth inning to help the Cheesemakers knock off Monona Grove 5-1 in a thriller Tuesday.
Updike went 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs, a double and a single. She was just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
"She (Updike) was in on all five runs we scored," Monroe coach Joe O'Leksy said. "We never hung our heads in this game. We keep finding different ways to win and different people come through. It just happened to be (Katie) Hayes and Updike tonight."
With the win, Monroe (19-1, 10-0 Badger South), ranked No. 3 in the Division 2 Wisconsin Softball Coaches Association state poll, stayed two games up on Fort Atkinson in the conference race.
"This is a huge win for us," O'Leksy said.
Monroe junior Olivia Bobak was locked in a pitchers' duel with Monona Grove's Alyssa Guerten for most of the game. The Silver Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth on Brooklyn Miller's RBI double.
It didn't take the Cheesemakers long to come back to tie the game. Updike led off the seventh by lining a single to right. Senior Alysha Witt then moved Updike into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Freshman Katie Hayes then delivered a two-out game-tying RBI single up the middle to tie the game at 1 and send it to extra innings.
In the eighth, Monroe senior Meredith Hose reached on an infield leadoff single. Junior Hailey Betthauser then walked and Monona Grove then chose to intentionally walk Bobak to load the bases.
"I was a little surprised they bypassed Bobak," O'Leksy said of the intentional walk. Bobak is a good hitter, but she was having a tough game and was 0-for-3. I think they were trying to play the percentages and having an out on all the bases."
Updike then made the Silver Eagles pay with her grand slam.
Bobak pitched a complete game to get the win. She gave up one earned run on four hits, struck out 10, walked one and hit one.
"She was pretty sharp," O'Leksy said.
Updike went 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs, a double and a single. She was just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
"She (Updike) was in on all five runs we scored," Monroe coach Joe O'Leksy said. "We never hung our heads in this game. We keep finding different ways to win and different people come through. It just happened to be (Katie) Hayes and Updike tonight."
With the win, Monroe (19-1, 10-0 Badger South), ranked No. 3 in the Division 2 Wisconsin Softball Coaches Association state poll, stayed two games up on Fort Atkinson in the conference race.
"This is a huge win for us," O'Leksy said.
Monroe junior Olivia Bobak was locked in a pitchers' duel with Monona Grove's Alyssa Guerten for most of the game. The Silver Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth on Brooklyn Miller's RBI double.
It didn't take the Cheesemakers long to come back to tie the game. Updike led off the seventh by lining a single to right. Senior Alysha Witt then moved Updike into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Freshman Katie Hayes then delivered a two-out game-tying RBI single up the middle to tie the game at 1 and send it to extra innings.
In the eighth, Monroe senior Meredith Hose reached on an infield leadoff single. Junior Hailey Betthauser then walked and Monona Grove then chose to intentionally walk Bobak to load the bases.
"I was a little surprised they bypassed Bobak," O'Leksy said of the intentional walk. Bobak is a good hitter, but she was having a tough game and was 0-for-3. I think they were trying to play the percentages and having an out on all the bases."
Updike then made the Silver Eagles pay with her grand slam.
Bobak pitched a complete game to get the win. She gave up one earned run on four hits, struck out 10, walked one and hit one.
"She was pretty sharp," O'Leksy said.
