MONMOUTH — It took Jameka Martins seven tries to lay down the perfect bunt.
But that seventh attempt was a doozie.
“It was win or lose,” Martins said. “I kind of had to get that one down.”
With runners at second and third with no outs in the top of the eighth inning, Martins sent the ball to the void between the pitcher’s circle and first base. Monmouth first baseman Natalie Young’s only play was to second baseman Kristi Hilton covering first. Alex Jarvais, on with a walk to lead off the eighth, scampered home to snap a 5-5 deadlock, leading No. 5 Madison to a thrilling 7-5 win over the No. 4 Mustangs on Friday.
“As the game went on, we started to make the plays, we started to hit the ball, and the players just started to believe in themselves,” Madison coach Al Veneziano said.
Natalie Michaud, who reached base four times, stole five bases and scored four times, all without the benefit of a hit, crossed the plate with the insurance run in the eighth to provide the winning margin.
“Everyone did a really good job at staying calm and not getting overly-excited,” Michaud said. We just needed to get as many run as we could, no matter what.”
“You get down to this time of the year, and it’s about who’s going to capitalize on the errors, the mental game a putting pressure on the other team,” Monmouth coach Rachel Bernier said.
But it was Martins’ effort after nine consecutive strikes and three strikeouts in three previous at-bats that did the most damage.
“I thought I was going to beat it out, too,” Martins said. “I thought I had it at first. But it was a good bunt, it was definitely where I wanted it to go.”
The fact the Bulldogs (11-6) forced an eighth inning at all was a testament to their tenacity. The Mustangs (11-4) built a 5-2 lead through four innings on the back of several unearned runs and opportunistic baserunning.
“I knew it was too early to think we had it,” Bernier said. “They have a good team.”
Madison started to chip away in the fifth. Kirsten Wood scored in that inning on an error, a stolen base and a sharp single by pitcher Emily McKenney to right field.
In the sixth, Cristie Vicneire keyed a two-run effort with a leadoff double.
“That got things going,” Veneziano said. “When you start to see other people doing things, it really inspires everybody and gets them going.”
Michaud reached on an error that allowed Vicneire to score, and then Michaud scored after a pair of stolen bases and a groundout to second by Wood.
Madison shored up its defense from there. After committing six errors in the first four innings, the Bulldogs played flawlessly in the field in the final four.
“We brought everyone into the middle to just calm everyone down,” Michaud said. “We just needed to concentrate on getting one out at a time, and we did that.”
McKenney allowed just two hits and four total baserunners the rest of the way in picking up the victory.
The teams traded single runs in the first and third innings before the Mustangs manufactured three in the fifth. Colby Wilson, Hilton and Bri Hicks reached on two errors and a walk. Kelsie Hilton plated Wislon with a single, Kylie Kemp was safe on a fielder’s choice that failed to produce an out, a play that scored Kristi Hilton and Hicks.
Madison advances to face top-seeded Telstar in Saturday’s regional semifinal in Bethel.
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