ROCORI softball reaches section title game with win over Alexandria
COLD SPRING — ROCORI pitcher Shelby Prom is focused and locked in when she enters the circle. She focuses on the signs from her catcher and executes each pitch to keep the batters off balance.
That focus and determination has been building since last season and it's carried into this spring. Now, Prom is using that locked-in mentality to defeat section opponents and play in the Section 8-3A championship game on Thursday.
Prom may have her attention on the batters at the plate, but ROCORI's shortstop Madison Terres is the most vocal player on the field. After every strike and out, Terres is cheering and providing positivity.
These two might take different approaches to how they play the game on the field, but they played a vital role on Tuesday in the 13-2 win over Alexandria. Now, the Spartans have one win separating ROCORI from the state tournament in Mankato.
"We always look at the next opponent and Alexandria put the ball in play today," said ROCORI head coach Derek Sauer. "We cut down our errors and was able to be patient at the plate to earn a spot at the championship."
ROCORI has been a steady team with strong batting and pitching as the Spartans have put up double-digit runs in eight of its games. That's due to a consistent lineup that finds the right ball and makes contact.
The first four batters each had at least one hit on Tuesday, while four of the other five batters reached base on a walk. Sauer said the girls are putting the ball in play and forcing the other team is make the out.
Along with consistent hitting, Prom has shown why she's the No. 1 pitcher for the Spartans. The senior has stepped into that role and wants to be in the circle for these high-pressure games.
"Shelby [Prom] learned a lot as the No. 2 pitcher last year and it made her prepared to make that jump as our ace this year," Sauer said. "She's been lights out and she gives us a chance to win anytime she's pitching. There's no one else I'd rather have in the circle."
Prom pitched a complete game on Tuesday giving up two hits, one walk, one earned run and striking out seven batters. These are typical numbers for the senior pitcher as she's been using her variety of pitches to keep the batters off balance and has one of the fastest pitches in the section.
She's also been a strong hitter for ROCORI and continued that dominance on Tuesday going 1-for-2 with two RBIs and a walk. Prom usually hits third in the lineup and has plenty of experience surrounding her.
Olivia Schroeder and Rachel Heinen have become a consistent one-two punch to start off the games. Schroeder delivered against Alexandria with two runs and three RBIs, while Heinen had three runs and one RBI.
Terres is the cleanup hitter behind Prom and she's been on a hot streak as of late with her hitting.
"Madison [Terres] worked hard this offseason and it showed early in the season," Sauer said. "She's been steady at the plate and she has a good balance of finding open gaps in the field as well as putting the ball over the fence, too."
Terres has been on a tear the last couple weeks with home runs almost every game and bringing in runners. Once again, she found the right pitch on Tuesday and sent the ball over the fence and into the ROCORI parking lot.
The two-run home run helped widen the lead for the Spartans and allowed Prom to lock in for the rest of the game.
This balance between pitching, offense and defense will need to continue as ROCORI is one win away from their goal this season. The Spartans knew they had the team to reach this point in the season and the team wants to head to Mankato for state.
"We can't think about state right now because we have a great opponent in front of us," Sauer said. "We can't look ahead too far and we need to stay focused on the one game that's ahead of us."
ROCORI will play No. 2 Little Falls for the section title game. These two have played against each other this regular season and the Spartans came out with a 6-0 win.
The win was closer than what the score shows because it was a 1-0 game until the sixth inning. Sauer said the Flyers have a variety of pitching and have a solid lineup that will challenge ROCORI's defense, so he's looking for that balance similar to Tuesday's game.
Little Falls and ROCORI will play the section title game at 4 p.m. Thursday at the College of St. Benedict's. The Spartans will need to win just one game to reach the state tournament, while the Flyers need to win two games coming from the elimination bracket.
If a second game is necessary, the two teams will play right after the first at 6 p.m.
Section 6-2A
Cathedral was scheduled to play its section semifinal game on Tuesday, but due to wet fields and weather conditions, that game was postponed to Wednesday.
The No. 1 Crusaders will play No. 3 Pequot Lakes at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Rivers Edge Park in Waite Park. The loser of this game will play the winner of No. 2 Pierz or No. 5 Holdingford at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Rivers Edge Park.
Brian Mozey is the high school sports reporter for the St. Cloud Times. Reach him at 320-255-8772 or bmozey@stcloudtimes.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianMozey.
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This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Softball section notebook: ROCORI reaches section title game
