It was the moment the team warmed up too.
Scoring three runs to end the inning and then another four the next, Monroe began to pile up the runs. By the time Sam Key singled into the outfield to score Alexis Arnold in the sixth, a 10-run rule ended their opponents’ misery as the top-seeded Hornets dominated No. 5 Tippecanoe 13-3 on Friday in a Division II sectional softball semifinal.
“Everybody told us they were tough, they could hit the ball,” Monroe coach Tim Kellis said. “But we knew we could hit the ball too.”
Kellis said he wanted Salyers to start her final game at her home field, but he had no hesitation in going to Wagner, a freshman. Once the switch was made, the Red Devils halted offensively, unable to get a runner past second base at any point the rest of the game.
Meanwhile, the Hornets scored runs with ease. Other than a scoreless fifth inning, they tallied at least a run every other time they batted. Coupled with Wagner’s pitching, Tippecanoe slowly watched its offensive capability dwindle.
“It was very difficult,” Red Devils coach Scott Sutton said about watching the score reach from further away to completely out of control. “We came in confident. Not cocky, but confident we could play well and hang with Monroe.”
Sutton said his team could’ve chosen other spots in the tournament bracket, but he felt comfortable with his team’s chance to potentially dethrone the top seed.
The decision ultimately proved costly though. His starting pitcher, his daughter Sierra, was pulled in the second after allowing four runs without registering an out. That sequence included a home run to right-center by Monroe leadoff hitter Faith Hensley.
“As far as making the switch, it’s not difficult at all,” Scott said about taking out Sierra, who’d already watched a 3-0 lead spin into a 7-3 deficit. “She knows it and knows what’s best for the team. What’s difficult is that she’s a senior, and that was it.”
The Red Devils (17-9) had justifiable reason to be heartbroken. Friday was the final game for eight seniors.
As for the Hornets (21-2), they will meet No. 3 Clinton-Massie for a sectional title Tuesday at Springboro.
But before that, they still need to make up two regular-season road games — Brookville on Saturday and Franklin on Monday. One win between the two gives Monroe at least a share of the Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern Division title.
Kellis laughed at the thought of his team potentially winning two major trophies in the span of two days.
“It’s kind of unique,” he said. “But because of the rain, it just worked out that way. But this is a special group.”
Junior center fielder Ashley McNabb, who also homered in the third inning, said the Hornets — regardless of any score line they might need to recover from — would carry momentum into next week.
“It’s definitely out of order, but we’re ready,” McNabb said of the sectional/conference two-day challenge. “I think we’re at our best, but we can definitely get better.”
Tippecanoe 300-000—3-5-3
Monroe 341-401—13-10-0
WP — Alyssa Wagner (13-1); LP — Sierra Sutton (10-6); HR — M: Faith Hensley, Ashley McNabb. Records: T 17-9, M 21-2
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