Monroeville wins second straight regional title

AVON LAKE — The start was ominous. But as it has done countless times in recent years, patience and discipline again won the day for the Monroeville softball team. Facing Vienna Mathews in a Division VII regional championship game, a pair of first-inning mistakes on the bases while batting and playing defense put the Eagles behind. But once the Monroeville lineup settled in, it never looked back. The Eagles piled up nine runs over a three-inning span in a 9-1 win on Friday at Avon Lake High School. With the win, the No. 8-ranked Eagles (26-3) won their second straight regional title and advanced to Wednesday's 3 p.m. state semifinal against No. 5 Mohawk (24-5) at Firestone Stadium in Akron. Friday's game was a rematch of last year's Div. IV state semifinal, a 5-3 win by Monroeville, also played on May 30. "We've been overcoming adversity all year," senior standout Taryn Tyler said. "I'm proud of how we responded. This is huge for us. It gives us all the more confidence going into next week." In the top of the first, Veanna Helmstetter drew a leadoff walk for the Eagles. But on Payton Weilnau's sacrifice bunt, Helmstetter was caught too far off second base and was picked off for a double play. Tyler then struck out, and the inning was over. In the bottom half of the first, Mathews' Kelsie Newsom hit a leadoff single and was advanced over on an out. After a pop fly out, the Mustangs got a single from Maddy Hufford, who then got caught in a rundown between first and second base. However, that allowed Newsom, who had advanced and held at third, to then score the game's first run for a 1-0 lead, and no one was back at first base to tag out Hufford. For three innings, the Eagles struggled to find sustained success against Olivia Matheny. However, that all changed in the top of the fourth inning. Tyler hit a one-out double to right field with one out. After Madi Reiber grounded out to advance her to third base, senior Avery Rosser jumped on the first pitch she saw for an RBI double to center field that scored Tyler to tie the game. Rachel Fries then won a six-pitch battle with Matheny, connecting for a ground ball single up the middle to score Rosser to give Monroeville the 2-1 lead. "There was a lot of pressure going into this game, and I wasn't myself in the first at-bat," Tyler said. "We definitely did a good job coming back and getting hits." In the fifth, Genna Bragg and Veanna Helmstetter were both hit by a pitch around a sacrifice bunt put down by Lilly Clark. After Weilnau flied out, Tyler singled to left to load the bases with two down. Reiber then came through with the game's biggest hit. She also jumped on the first pitch she saw on a line drive to left center. The bases-clearing double pushed the Monroeville lead to 5-1 and chased Matheny from the game. "Every time I go up to the plate, I just think, 'get on base,'" Reiber said. "In that situation, I was ready for the first-pitch strike and was able to hit it, and it worked out." Fries and Taylor Scheid led off the sixth against Mathews' Ashia Pate. Bragg was then hit by a pitch again to load the bases with no outs. Monroeville didn't waste the chance to blow the game open but did so without recording a hit. Veanna Helmsteter and Weilnau each drew walks to on a pair of five-pitch at-bats to bring in two more runs for a 7-1 lead. After Tyler grounded into a force out at home, Helmstetter and Weilnau then each scored on passed balls to push the lead out to 9-1. That proved plenty enough in the circle for Veanna Helmstetter. After the first inning run, she allowed just four base hits. Just one runner advanced to third base over the final six innings as she struck out eight and walked one. That included a scary moment in the sixth when Veanna took a line drive off the forearm of her throwing hand. "I feel fine right now; it doesn't hurt yet," Veanna said. "I'll get some ice and probably feel it tomorrow (Saturday). We found ways to calm ourselves down, and we feed off each other, so it was important the energy in the dugout was able to keep us all up." Monroeville head coach Abe Helmstetter felt the momentum shift to his team. "They're definitely focused right now," he said. "Give Mathews credit. They came out with a hunger and a passion. They've won 25 games, and there is a reason why they were ranked No. 4 in the state. "We were just able to control our emotions there, get through it, and weather the storms a little bit and start playing our game. Once we started playing, we didn't stop. After the momentum shifted, we held onto it." The Eagles and Warriors were slated to play in a regular season game on May 8 in Monroeville, but rain canceled the game, and the two sides were unable to find a common date to reschedule. Now, that game will happen at historic Firestone Stadium with a trip to the state championship game on the line. "We have a good foundation of our practice," Coach Helmstetter said. "We have a good routine and structure with sound fundamentals. Then we get the girls to buy in, and they are definitely buying in right now. We were a seasoned team last year. "This year, we had to get all these sophomores and freshmen in there, and in this situation, that's huge," he added. Coach Helmstetter said the expectation shift gave this regional title a different feel. "Last year, we had to kick the door open, and it was exciting," he said. "This year there was a different expectation, and I credit these girls for their work ethic, attitudes, and desire to get back here." Monroeville 000 234 0 — 9 8 0 V. Mathews 100 000 0 — 1 5 1 WP: Helmstetter; LP: Matheny 2B: (M) Rosser, Tyler, Reiber