MONROE - Playing one of the top-ranked teams in the state can get the juices flowing, for better or worse. On Monday, Monroe came up just short against Madison Edgewood, falling 14-9.
"We told the guys we knew we were going to hit, because we're swinging the bat real well," Monroe coach Dustin Huffman said. "The problem came with poor plays, not knowing situations and other stuff we'd done earlier in the year."
The Crusaders (8-3, 6-1 Badger South) had been a fixture in the top five of the state all season and went to state a year ago. So when Monroe's defense started booting around the ball in the early innings, it turned around to cost them.
"We could have put our heads down and gotten 10-runned and been done in five. But they didn't. They battled. That's what we want to see," Huffman said.
Edgewood scored four runs in the second and added three more in the top of the third to put the Cheesemakers down 7-0.
At that point, senior shortstop Dylan Schwitz decided to give his team a spark. Schwitz rocked an 0-2 pitch over the fence for a 2-run homer with no one out in the bottom of the third. Monroe capped the inning by scoring five runs to make it interesting.
"Once we started getting those runs, guys were picking each other up and banging on the fence. We were real happy," said Drew Nafzger, who started on the hill for the Cheesemakers and allowed seven runs in 2 1/3 innings. "They were hitting me hard (early), players made errors, but stuff happens."
Monroe left the bases loaded in the fifth, scoring just one run that made it 7-6. A base knock could have altered the course of the final two innings.
"One more hit and we get the lead. That would have made it a different game instead of trying to play catch-up the whole time," Huffman said. "It was right there - one more big hit or one more play earlier in the game and we're hanging right with them."
Edgewood turned right around and scored three runs in the next half inning, putting the Cheesemakers in a 10-6 hole.
Kramer Henning made Monroe wish they had not gone out quietly in the fifth, because the lefty sent a towering double to left center that very well could have cleared the bases.
Three batters later, Nafzger took an 0-2 pitch out of the park to right center, sparking some life into himself and the team.
"It felt really good to hit that. The whole year I've maybe had one double and everything else is a single. To get that one, it meant a lot to me," Nafzger said.
Edgewood tacked on another four runs in the top of the seventh, chasing reliever Logan Wells due to a pitch count. Henning singled home a run in the bottom of the seventh to cap the scoring.
"If we continue to hit the way we've been, good things are going to happen for us," Huffman said. "I was happy with the way the guys battled."
Austin Burandt had two doubles and Kevin Klopfenstein had two hits, including a double for Monroe (6-6, 4-3), and Henning finished 3 for 3 with a walk. Seven Edgewood hitters had at least two hits, and two had three or more.
The Cheesemakers have to shake off the tough loss and get back into the swing of things right away, because Monona Grove comes to town today.
"You can tell them not to make the same mistakes again and get ready for tomorrow. Because we have a tough one tomorrow," Huffman said.
"We told the guys we knew we were going to hit, because we're swinging the bat real well," Monroe coach Dustin Huffman said. "The problem came with poor plays, not knowing situations and other stuff we'd done earlier in the year."
The Crusaders (8-3, 6-1 Badger South) had been a fixture in the top five of the state all season and went to state a year ago. So when Monroe's defense started booting around the ball in the early innings, it turned around to cost them.
"We could have put our heads down and gotten 10-runned and been done in five. But they didn't. They battled. That's what we want to see," Huffman said.
Edgewood scored four runs in the second and added three more in the top of the third to put the Cheesemakers down 7-0.
At that point, senior shortstop Dylan Schwitz decided to give his team a spark. Schwitz rocked an 0-2 pitch over the fence for a 2-run homer with no one out in the bottom of the third. Monroe capped the inning by scoring five runs to make it interesting.
"Once we started getting those runs, guys were picking each other up and banging on the fence. We were real happy," said Drew Nafzger, who started on the hill for the Cheesemakers and allowed seven runs in 2 1/3 innings. "They were hitting me hard (early), players made errors, but stuff happens."
Monroe left the bases loaded in the fifth, scoring just one run that made it 7-6. A base knock could have altered the course of the final two innings.
"One more hit and we get the lead. That would have made it a different game instead of trying to play catch-up the whole time," Huffman said. "It was right there - one more big hit or one more play earlier in the game and we're hanging right with them."
Edgewood turned right around and scored three runs in the next half inning, putting the Cheesemakers in a 10-6 hole.
Kramer Henning made Monroe wish they had not gone out quietly in the fifth, because the lefty sent a towering double to left center that very well could have cleared the bases.
Three batters later, Nafzger took an 0-2 pitch out of the park to right center, sparking some life into himself and the team.
"It felt really good to hit that. The whole year I've maybe had one double and everything else is a single. To get that one, it meant a lot to me," Nafzger said.
Edgewood tacked on another four runs in the top of the seventh, chasing reliever Logan Wells due to a pitch count. Henning singled home a run in the bottom of the seventh to cap the scoring.
"If we continue to hit the way we've been, good things are going to happen for us," Huffman said. "I was happy with the way the guys battled."
Austin Burandt had two doubles and Kevin Klopfenstein had two hits, including a double for Monroe (6-6, 4-3), and Henning finished 3 for 3 with a walk. Seven Edgewood hitters had at least two hits, and two had three or more.
The Cheesemakers have to shake off the tough loss and get back into the swing of things right away, because Monona Grove comes to town today.
"You can tell them not to make the same mistakes again and get ready for tomorrow. Because we have a tough one tomorrow," Huffman said.
