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Cougars semifinal bound after taking down Bulldogs
LIZTON -- North Putnam pitcher Taylor Judy limited Monrovia to four hits, allowed one walk and struck out 10 in a 3-0 victory in first round sectional softball game Tuesday at Tri-West.
"She's (Judy) really good and she was especially good today," North Putnam coach Jim Brothers said. "She was really focused. She had good location and was really solid and we backed her up in the field."
The Cougars (15-12) did not commit an error.
Monrovia starting pitcher Colleen Hadley held the Cougars to one hit and no runs through five innings.
With two outs in the sixth, North Putnam's Lauren Green walked and Carlye McGaughey drove her in with a double to left field. It was line drive that hit near the foul line and took a big hop over the glove of Monrovia left-fielder Amanda Witt, who was running at full speed to try to cut it off.
"Carlye had two strikes, got the pitch she wanted and hit it hard," Brothers said. "It gave us a little boost in the dugout."
North Putnam added two more runs in the seventh. Dakota Parent led off with a walk. Morgan Robinson bunted and Monrovia tried to throw Parent out at second, but failed. Judy singled to load the bases. Elsiana Crosby drove in Parent with a fly out to left. Dakota Malayer singled to center to load the bases. Green walked, sending in Robinson.
Three runs were two more than Judy needed to defeat Monrovia (13-13) for the third straight game this season.
"We finally got runs late," Brothers said. "It took pressure off Taylor, made the last two innings a little easier."
The Cougars had only four hits, but took advantage of five walks and two hit batters off Hadley to score three runs.
Judy, a hard-throwing junior right hander, allowed a walk in the first and singles in the second and third. She retired eight straight batters before giving up a single to Witt with one out in the sixth.
After Judy retired dangerous Eryn Dillon on a routine fly ball, Kateland Hunter singled to center to put Bulldogs on first and second. Judy got Blake Whitaker to ground out to second baseman Parent to end the threat.
Judy finished by striking out two batters and getting the batter to pop out to Parent in the seventh.
North Putnam plays the winner of the South Putnam tonight at 7 p.m. at Tri-West.
At Tri-West
North Putnam 000 001 2 -- 3 4 0
Monrovia 000 00 0 -- 0 4 1
Judy and Malayer; Hadley and Dillon.
WP -- Judy
LP -- Hadley
2B -- NP -- McGaughey.
1B -- M -- Witt, Hunter, Durham, Vondersaar; NP -- Crosby, Judy, Malayer.
RBI -- NP -- McGaughey, Crosby, Green.