Dyanmic duo lifts St. Joseph-Ogden softball past Monticello

Apr. 30—ST. JOSEPH — Before Ellie Ward stepped into the batter's box in the bottom of the sixth inning on Monday evening, St. Joseph-Ogden softball coach Larry Sparks hollered to her from the third-base coaching box.

Ward had a "less-than-stellar" at-bat two innings prior, striking out after pulling her head on a couple swings, and Sparks wanted her to relax, simplify her approach and attack when she got a pitch in her zone.

It came on the first pitch she saw, and the senior cranked it high and deep over the left-field fence for what turned out to be the game-winning two-run home run against Illini Prairie Conference foe Monticello.

"When it went past me at third base, I knew it was gone," Sparks said. "There was no doubt."

Ward danced her way down the third-base line to meet her teammates at home plate as Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" played through the speakers at Randy Wolken Field. Her home run accounted for the first runs of the game. And they ended up being the only runs as SJ-O defeated Monticello 2-0 to give the Spartans their 34th consecutive season with at least 20 wins.

"I knew I was looking for a pitch I could drive," Ward said.

"To come through in that moment for my team feels great. I was going to be fine with just a base hit, but it turned out to be right in my zone to drive it."

While the Sages (14-12) didn't score against the Spartans (20-6), their last turn at bat didn't come without a fair share of drama. With two outs and a runner on first base, sophomore Sadie Walsh hit a ball that, off the bat, looked like it was heading for the same spot on West Grand Avenue where Ward hit hers, which would have tied the game. Instead, it hit the fence on the fly for a double, and the next batter grounded out to strand both runners and end the game.

"If I could blow it out," Monticello coach Lauren Richardson said with a laugh. "That would have been a great moment for her. She's deserving of it. That's just what Sadie does. She always comes up big for us, and she's done a great job ever since we put her in that leadoff spot."

The late-inning heroics from Ward and near heroics from Walsh put an exclamation point on what was essentially the definition of a pitchers' duel.

SJ-O senior Madison Stevens tossed a shutout, only walking one batter and allowing six hits in her seven innings in the pitcher's circle.

"Every pitch, I knew I had good people behind me to make the plays I needed them to make," Stevens said. "I definitely have the pressure of keeping it low to make sure nothing gets over anyone's head. Ground balls all day."

Most of Monticello's hits, save for Walsh's double, were light flares just out of the infielders' reach. Stevens doesn't have the power to blow pitches by her opponents, evident by her modest four strikeouts Monday, but she mixes and locates her pitches well.

"She doesn't throw hard, but she throws it well enough to keep good hitters off balance," Sparks said of Stevens. "It's really hard to stay back and hit her, even when you know it's coming. That's what makes her successful."

On the other side, sophomore Cassidee Stoffel was just as effective for the Sages. Her final line included seven strikeouts and just one walk, one earned run and six hits in six innings. The only difference between her performance and Stevens' was the one big hit Stoffel gave up happened to clear the wall.

"She's showed up for us all season long," Richardson said of Stoffel. "She's always given us a chance to stay in every single game. There wasn't necessarily a time where I've ever felt like we were out of any game, this one included. Our defense supported her, and we did all we could. The only runs were hit over the fence."

The solid pitching frustrated batters all game. The Spartans were coming off three straight wins in which their high-powered offense scored a total of 38 runs, and for the first 5 1/2 innings Monday, they couldn't buy a run.

"Definitely a bit frustrating to say the least," Ward said. "We knew we were getting good hits, but it was frustrating. We were getting through it and close to scoring, but then, three outs. We knew we had to stay up and cheer each other on. If we stay together as a team, we know we can play pretty much anyone and have it be a good game."

Sparks said his team never quits, and he was confident something would go their way sooner rather than later. That's why he wasn't surprised when the Spartans stayed together just long enough for Ward to break through with her home run. And it gave Stevens a much needed sigh of relief.

"I was so happy. I was so ready for that," Stevens said. "It was a close game, and I didn't really like it, so when she hit that, I was very excited to get back on the mound and get us the win."