MONROE - It's important to never panic if one's car breaks down. The Cheesemakers appeared anything but rattled as they broke out the tools and fired up the engine in a five-run rally to beat McFarland, 7-6, at home Tuesday evening.
Monroe baseball coach Steve Christensen watched the wheels come clear off his Cheesemakers' bus in the sixth and seventh innings, only to see his club coolly storm back to steal a Badger South victory from the jaws of defeat Tuesday evening.
Monroe (3-5, 2-4 Badger South) was steadily clinging to a 2-1 lead entering the sixth when things got interesting.
"We were in control through the middle innings and then the wheels came off in the sixth and seventh. We didn't react very well to hit balls in those two innings. I guess we lost our baseball focus a little."
Three consecutive Spartan hits off Monroe's Mike Rear had Christensen questioning his decision to keep the starter on the hill after pulling him after five in beating Stoughton on the road last Tuesday.
"I goofed up in the sixth; I had Jake Teasdale ready to relieve and didn't put him in," Christensen said. "Looking back, maybe I stayed with Mike a little too long, but he had been strong and in control up to that point."
After surrendering an RBI-single with no outs, Monroe's senior reliever Jake Teasdale wriggled away from further damage down 4-2. However, McFarland struck for two unearned runs in the top of the seventh before the magic happened.
Junior shortstop Mitch Tordoff sparked the rally with a single to left, his second of the game. Senior centerfielder Shawn Hart then doubled before classmate Brett Stangel brought both runners around with a single to cut the lead in half.
After a McFarland error allowed Kyle Klopfenstein to reach, Nate Barta singled sharply to plate Stangel and move courtesy runner Scott Kline to third. Taylor Weckerly singled in Kline before senior utility man Nick Rieder walked.
Then another senior, Mike Demianiuk, made the final tuneup with a single that sent Barta home and brought the players in the dugout to their feet and onto the field in a frenzy.
"We put together some hits and battled 'til the end," Christensen said. "It had to be a satisfying win for the kids, but they know we still have things to work on to get better."
Their next chance to do so comes Thursay at Verona.
Monroe baseball coach Steve Christensen watched the wheels come clear off his Cheesemakers' bus in the sixth and seventh innings, only to see his club coolly storm back to steal a Badger South victory from the jaws of defeat Tuesday evening.
Monroe (3-5, 2-4 Badger South) was steadily clinging to a 2-1 lead entering the sixth when things got interesting.
"We were in control through the middle innings and then the wheels came off in the sixth and seventh. We didn't react very well to hit balls in those two innings. I guess we lost our baseball focus a little."
Three consecutive Spartan hits off Monroe's Mike Rear had Christensen questioning his decision to keep the starter on the hill after pulling him after five in beating Stoughton on the road last Tuesday.
"I goofed up in the sixth; I had Jake Teasdale ready to relieve and didn't put him in," Christensen said. "Looking back, maybe I stayed with Mike a little too long, but he had been strong and in control up to that point."
After surrendering an RBI-single with no outs, Monroe's senior reliever Jake Teasdale wriggled away from further damage down 4-2. However, McFarland struck for two unearned runs in the top of the seventh before the magic happened.
Junior shortstop Mitch Tordoff sparked the rally with a single to left, his second of the game. Senior centerfielder Shawn Hart then doubled before classmate Brett Stangel brought both runners around with a single to cut the lead in half.
After a McFarland error allowed Kyle Klopfenstein to reach, Nate Barta singled sharply to plate Stangel and move courtesy runner Scott Kline to third. Taylor Weckerly singled in Kline before senior utility man Nick Rieder walked.
Then another senior, Mike Demianiuk, made the final tuneup with a single that sent Barta home and brought the players in the dugout to their feet and onto the field in a frenzy.
"We put together some hits and battled 'til the end," Christensen said. "It had to be a satisfying win for the kids, but they know we still have things to work on to get better."
Their next chance to do so comes Thursay at Verona.
