It took an inning to get it figured out. William Monroe might have gone down in order in the first facing Rock Ridge in the Conference 28 quarterfinals, but was the only time. And in the second inning the Dragons pummeled the Phoenix to take a commanding lead early en route to an 11-1 victory.
“Our timing wasn’t the greatest in the first inning so we went to a little bunting and running in the second because we saw their defense couldn’t handle it,” said Monroe coach Greg Breeden. “We just want to put the ball in play and run. It’s been working for us later in the season. This team has gotten so much better. If you looked at us from the first week of the season and then now you’d see such a difference. We can swing the bat, our seniors are leaders and we’re hitting on cylinders.”
McKenzie Flora got Monroe rolling in second inning with 1-out single. Then next five batters all reached base for the Dragons with Lindsey Morris hitting an RBI triple and Hannah Carptenter getting an RBI fielder’s choice. The Dragons picked up a pair of runs on passed balls and got an RBI double from Leanna Lamb to make it 7-0 after two innings.
“I think we got used to the pitching and learned from each batter,” Lamb said. “We came back into the dugout and talked about what was being thrown, how hard it was being thrown. My second at-bat was definitely a lot better than my first. I think it was like that for all of us.”
Monroe answered with four more runs in the third to take an 11-0 lead. That rally started with an Alexis Lam single and a Cheyenne Morris single two batters later. Alexis Wayland had the lone RBI single in an inning that featured wild pitches as the scoring opportunity the Dragons capitalized on most.
In the circle, Flora and Makayal Morris combined to give up just one run for Monroe which came in the fourth where the Phoenix got three of their four hits. Outside of that, the duo was dialed in as they struck out six batters and faced just 19 total. The Dragons defense finished up the game with a game ending play at the plate after a 2-out double in the top of the fifth with a runner on first.
The Dragons will travel to face Central Woodstock in the semifinals on Wednesday at 6 p.m. It will be the fourth meeting between the two. The two split in the regular season while the Falcons took the rubber game in the Bull Run District tournament.
“We really believe that if we can get past Central, we can make a run at a state title,” Breeden said. “It’s just about having that confidence and coming out to play.”
