It may be early in the season, but it never hurts to get that first win under your belt.
Haley Williams went 1-for-3 at the plate with a run scored and twirled a complete game, two-hitter as Monett topped Willard 4-2 in an early season matchup on Monday evening in Willard.
"It's still really early in the season, so there's a lot more chances to win," said Williams, "but it feels really good to get that first win."
Williams walked only one and struck out four in the victory.
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"I wanted to really use my legs and be a pitcher and not just throw the ball," she said. "Spinning it, moving it, was a big thing for me. My curveball and my change up were working pretty well for me, I thought."
Her coach was impressed.
"It starts in the circle," Monett coach Ty Goetz said. "I thought she threw it really well. She did a good job of getting ahead and working both sides of the plate. Our defense is much better when she's working ahead and throwing a lot of strikes."
Monett (1-1) grabbed the early lead on Monday, plating two runs before Willard had a chance to bat. Kassie McCallister and Josie Allcock delivered RBI singles that put the Cubs in front 2-0.
From there, Willard (1-1) starter Bridget Rippe settled in, retiring eight in a row, while her team battled back. Cheyenne Terry and Savannah Yeargan both singled and scored in the second inning, knotting the score at 2-2. Those would be Willard's only hits of the evening.
In the fourth, Monett regained the lead when Camryn Wolff singled and later scored on an RBI groundout by Maddi Combs. The Cubs padded their lead in the seventh as Katie Kurima singled, stole second, and scored on McCallister's second RBI hit of the game.
McCallister finished 2-for-3 at the plate, while Wolf went 3-for-3 with three singles.
"Just watching her in practice, we knew we had to find a way to put her in the lineup," said Goetz of Wolf. "Offensively, she's a great weapon and an opposing figure up at bat. She's hit some balls hard."
Monett 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 4
Willard 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
WP: Williams
LP: Rippe
Monett: Wolf 3, McCallister 2, Katie Kurima, Gutierrez, Williams, Allcock
Willard: Terry, Yeargan
