The Bulldogs took a 5-1 lead after three innings. During that time frame the Bulldogs bunted twice, had a pair of sacrifice flies, a hit batter and a couple of walks, all typifying their style of play.
“That’s what we do,” Madison coach Chris LeBlanc said. “We bunt and run the bases trying to put pressure on the defense.”
Then, Madison’s power came to life in the fourth, when Kayla Bess and Madeline Wood drove back-to-back doubles to the deepest parts of the outfield and Sydney LeBlanc topped it off with a triple down the right field line, helping the Bulldogs pull away for an 11-1 win.
“That is a really good team,” Monmouth coach Dave Kaplan said. “They do so many things very well.”
No. 1 Madison (17-1), the defending Class C state champion, advances to the Western C finals at St. Joseph’s College on Wednesday at 3 p.m., where the Bulldogs will face No. 3 Telstar (16-2). No. 5 Monmouth (10-8) ends it’s season.
Madison defeated Telstar 2-1 during the regular season.
Monmouth shocked Madison in the first inning when Carolyn Bonenfant and Shannon Buzzell stroked consecutive doubles to left to take an early 1-0 lead. Wood tightened her belt and induced a fly ball out to center field to end the inning.
Wood went on to strike out five over the next three innings, including the side in order in the fourth. Wood went five strong innings, using a quality fastball and extremely effective change-up, before giving way to Bess in the sixth.
“That’s all I have for pitches,” Wood said. “When my change-up is working, it keeps the batters off balance.”
Bess entered the game in the top of the sixth and the Mustangs immediately went to work, putting the first, two batters on base, reaching on a single and infield error. Madison, however, was equal to the task shutting the door with three straight solid defensive plays in the infield.
“I think that says a lot about the way we practice,” LeBlanc said. “We are constantly in game situation mode every time we do something.”
After watching the Mustangs score in the top of the first, Madison went on the offensive quickly taking a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first. Bess was hit by a pitch, Wood reached on a bunt single and Aly LeBlance walked to load the bases with no outs.
Erin Whalen tied the game with a sacrifice fly to left, followed by an outstanding squeeze bunt from Ashley Emery to give the Bulldogs the lead for good.
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