MONROE - Giving up two-out runs can devastate a baseball team.
On Thursday against the state's top-ranked Division 2 team, Monroe gave up eight of them.
Madison Edgewood, ranked No. 1 in the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Division 2 poll, used the two-out magic to earn a 14-4 five-inning win.
"I think their No. 2-6 hitters are all all-conference players," coach Steve Christensen said. "It's not like we were playing a Division 4 team. We can play them closer."
The two-out misery started early. Monroe senior starting pitcher Mike Rear looked ready to escape the first inning unscathed when he induced Chris Ritter to hit a ground ball to shortstop Scott Kline. But Kline's throw to second for a forceout was errant, opening the door for Edgewood's Robert Parman (3-for-4 with three RBI), who crushed a two-run triple to center to give the Crusaders a 2-0 lead.
"We gave them two runs in the first inning," Christensen said. "They could have had at most scored one run. Fourteen-to-four looks bad in the scorebook, but there were some positives we can take from it and hopefully come back tomorrow and play OK."
Monroe senior Mike Demianiuk, who went 3-for-3 with two RBIs, gave the Cheesemakers a big boost.
The Cheesemakers (2-4, 2-1 Badger South) rallied by scoring four runs in the bottom of the first off Ritter, a Bradley University recruit. Monroe capitalized on some wildness by Ritter, who walked Mitch Marty and hit Kline with a pitch. Demianiuk then smoked a game-tying two-run double to center. Matt Whipple lined an RBI double to right and Kris Rieder came through with an RBI single to give the Cheesemakers a short-lived 4-2 lead.
"We came out a little more relaxed then we have in the past," Demianiuk said. "It was a little nerve wracking, but we have to calm down and play our game.
"You can't always expect things in sports. It felt great to come back and take the lead."
Edgewood (5-0, 2-0) scored three runs with two outs in the second. Kyle Haen blasted a game-tying two-run homer to highlight the second. Ritter roped a go-ahead RBI double to center to give the Crusaders a 5-4 lead.
Edgewood, which pounded out 11 hits (five for extra bases), extended its lead with a seven-run fourth. Parman laced an RBI double to center to give the Crusaders a 7-4 lead. It appeared like Rear was on the verge of limiting the damage after Christiaan Wabers knocked in a run with a groundout to give the Crusaders an 8-4 lead.
With two outs, Rear then struggled with his control and Edgewood went on to score five more runs with two outs. Rear hit Mario Minnaert and then walked the next two batters to load the bases. He walked in a run and the Cheesemakers brought in Jon Elmer in relief. Elmer hit Nick Hughes and a costly error led to two more runs and a 12-4 Crusaders' lead.
Christensen said he told Rear he would have to pitch several innings with the Cheesemakers' upcoming schedule of four games in three days.
"Mike Demianiuk was out of innings," Christensen said of the pitch who threw a complete game in a 4-3 win over Fort Atkinson on Tuesday.
"We were a little bit strapped. Mike (Rear) pitched better than he has been. He still has some work to do. Hopefully, he takes that next step the next time he pitches."
After a big first inning, the Cheesemakers were limited to just two hits the rest of the way.
"We got behind and we started dropping our heads a little bit," Christensen said. "We have to play through that."
On Thursday against the state's top-ranked Division 2 team, Monroe gave up eight of them.
Madison Edgewood, ranked No. 1 in the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Division 2 poll, used the two-out magic to earn a 14-4 five-inning win.
"I think their No. 2-6 hitters are all all-conference players," coach Steve Christensen said. "It's not like we were playing a Division 4 team. We can play them closer."
The two-out misery started early. Monroe senior starting pitcher Mike Rear looked ready to escape the first inning unscathed when he induced Chris Ritter to hit a ground ball to shortstop Scott Kline. But Kline's throw to second for a forceout was errant, opening the door for Edgewood's Robert Parman (3-for-4 with three RBI), who crushed a two-run triple to center to give the Crusaders a 2-0 lead.
"We gave them two runs in the first inning," Christensen said. "They could have had at most scored one run. Fourteen-to-four looks bad in the scorebook, but there were some positives we can take from it and hopefully come back tomorrow and play OK."
Monroe senior Mike Demianiuk, who went 3-for-3 with two RBIs, gave the Cheesemakers a big boost.
The Cheesemakers (2-4, 2-1 Badger South) rallied by scoring four runs in the bottom of the first off Ritter, a Bradley University recruit. Monroe capitalized on some wildness by Ritter, who walked Mitch Marty and hit Kline with a pitch. Demianiuk then smoked a game-tying two-run double to center. Matt Whipple lined an RBI double to right and Kris Rieder came through with an RBI single to give the Cheesemakers a short-lived 4-2 lead.
"We came out a little more relaxed then we have in the past," Demianiuk said. "It was a little nerve wracking, but we have to calm down and play our game.
"You can't always expect things in sports. It felt great to come back and take the lead."
Edgewood (5-0, 2-0) scored three runs with two outs in the second. Kyle Haen blasted a game-tying two-run homer to highlight the second. Ritter roped a go-ahead RBI double to center to give the Crusaders a 5-4 lead.
Edgewood, which pounded out 11 hits (five for extra bases), extended its lead with a seven-run fourth. Parman laced an RBI double to center to give the Crusaders a 7-4 lead. It appeared like Rear was on the verge of limiting the damage after Christiaan Wabers knocked in a run with a groundout to give the Crusaders an 8-4 lead.
With two outs, Rear then struggled with his control and Edgewood went on to score five more runs with two outs. Rear hit Mario Minnaert and then walked the next two batters to load the bases. He walked in a run and the Cheesemakers brought in Jon Elmer in relief. Elmer hit Nick Hughes and a costly error led to two more runs and a 12-4 Crusaders' lead.
Christensen said he told Rear he would have to pitch several innings with the Cheesemakers' upcoming schedule of four games in three days.
"Mike Demianiuk was out of innings," Christensen said of the pitch who threw a complete game in a 4-3 win over Fort Atkinson on Tuesday.
"We were a little bit strapped. Mike (Rear) pitched better than he has been. He still has some work to do. Hopefully, he takes that next step the next time he pitches."
After a big first inning, the Cheesemakers were limited to just two hits the rest of the way.
"We got behind and we started dropping our heads a little bit," Christensen said. "We have to play through that."
