MONROE - In wobbling batters' knees up and down the lineup, Mike Demianiuk helped his Cheesemakers stand tall in closing out their Badger South baseball schedule Friday night.
The junior southpaw was dynamite on the hill, allowing no earned runs in a 3-1 victory over Stoughton at Monroe High School.
"They didn't hit the ball particularly hard and that's because Mike had them off-balance all game," Monroe coach Steve Christensen said.
Demianiuk needed an even 100 pitches to earn his first varsity complete-game win. A healthy portion of them were of the off-speed variety. He pounded the strike zone and located his curveball well, particularly on the first pitch of at-bats.
"He just threw strikes and got some clutch outs," sophomore Cory Kundert commended.
Kundert supplied all the necessary run support by cracking a base hit to center in the second that eluded center fielder Tanner Klitzke. Taylor Weckerly scampered home after leading off with a clothesline double to dead left. Brett Stangel and Mitch Tordoff coaxed walks from junior starter Curtis Holverson, and Kundert darted home on a wild pitch to take a 2-1 lead.
"He plays the game the right way and he's given us a lot of help as a sophomore," Christensen said. "We're throwing him right in the fire."
Kundert added an insurance run in the sixth after Nate Barta went the other way to left field for a triple and Jake Teasdale worked a one-out walk. After Christensen huddled with Kundert and pinch-runner Scott Kline along the first base line, Monroe quickly went away from a designed play.
"When they changed their defense, we took it off and it was just first-pitch swinging," Kundert said.
Kundert socked the first offering past a lunging Jake Wenzel at third to create some space through which Demianiuk could cruise in the seventh.
Monroe's defense, which has been liable for several close losses this season, was stalwart down the stretch.
Stoughton ran itself out of an opportunity to tie the game at 2 when it took a page out of the scouting report. After Demianiuk made an ill-advised throw in a double-steal situation during Saturday's 4-3 loss to Orangeville, the Vikings sent Max Wersland in motion at first before trying to send Mark Schollmeyer home from third. But Demianiuk followed the script, turning and throwing to second. A throw then went home, where catcher Kyle Klopfenstein chased Schollmeyer back to third and threw to Weckerly, who dropped the tag.
"I just went back to basics because coach went over it with me," Demianiuk said. "I just calmed myself down, waited for (Wersland), caught him out of the corner of my eye, turned and threw."
Christensen knew he could use seven innings out of Demianiuk with tomorrow's doubleheader at DeForest looming. So he stuck with him after he got heavy-hitting lefty Sean Gerber to bounce sharply to Jake Teasdale at first. Kundert was looming in the bullpen in case Gerber would have reached for the third time.
"We don't get him out too often," Christensen said.
Kundert was the only Cheesemaker with two hits. Wenzel had two hits for Stoughton, which saw the few balls it hit hard handled.
"It takes a good defense out there to throw a complete game," Demianiuk said.
Demianiuk's glovesmen made certain that none of the Vikings got to see him a fourth time. After Klitzke reached on an error by Taylor Weckerly on a tricky short hop, the stocky junior started a textbook 5-4-3, game-ending double play as he snared a rocket off the bat of Aaron Frey and threw to Stangel, who turned the twin killing and sent the crowd home happy on Senior Night.
"This can help us get on the right track and do things right the first time," Demianiuk said. "We've had a lot of these go the other way."
The junior southpaw was dynamite on the hill, allowing no earned runs in a 3-1 victory over Stoughton at Monroe High School.
"They didn't hit the ball particularly hard and that's because Mike had them off-balance all game," Monroe coach Steve Christensen said.
Demianiuk needed an even 100 pitches to earn his first varsity complete-game win. A healthy portion of them were of the off-speed variety. He pounded the strike zone and located his curveball well, particularly on the first pitch of at-bats.
"He just threw strikes and got some clutch outs," sophomore Cory Kundert commended.
Kundert supplied all the necessary run support by cracking a base hit to center in the second that eluded center fielder Tanner Klitzke. Taylor Weckerly scampered home after leading off with a clothesline double to dead left. Brett Stangel and Mitch Tordoff coaxed walks from junior starter Curtis Holverson, and Kundert darted home on a wild pitch to take a 2-1 lead.
"He plays the game the right way and he's given us a lot of help as a sophomore," Christensen said. "We're throwing him right in the fire."
Kundert added an insurance run in the sixth after Nate Barta went the other way to left field for a triple and Jake Teasdale worked a one-out walk. After Christensen huddled with Kundert and pinch-runner Scott Kline along the first base line, Monroe quickly went away from a designed play.
"When they changed their defense, we took it off and it was just first-pitch swinging," Kundert said.
Kundert socked the first offering past a lunging Jake Wenzel at third to create some space through which Demianiuk could cruise in the seventh.
Monroe's defense, which has been liable for several close losses this season, was stalwart down the stretch.
Stoughton ran itself out of an opportunity to tie the game at 2 when it took a page out of the scouting report. After Demianiuk made an ill-advised throw in a double-steal situation during Saturday's 4-3 loss to Orangeville, the Vikings sent Max Wersland in motion at first before trying to send Mark Schollmeyer home from third. But Demianiuk followed the script, turning and throwing to second. A throw then went home, where catcher Kyle Klopfenstein chased Schollmeyer back to third and threw to Weckerly, who dropped the tag.
"I just went back to basics because coach went over it with me," Demianiuk said. "I just calmed myself down, waited for (Wersland), caught him out of the corner of my eye, turned and threw."
Christensen knew he could use seven innings out of Demianiuk with tomorrow's doubleheader at DeForest looming. So he stuck with him after he got heavy-hitting lefty Sean Gerber to bounce sharply to Jake Teasdale at first. Kundert was looming in the bullpen in case Gerber would have reached for the third time.
"We don't get him out too often," Christensen said.
Kundert was the only Cheesemaker with two hits. Wenzel had two hits for Stoughton, which saw the few balls it hit hard handled.
"It takes a good defense out there to throw a complete game," Demianiuk said.
Demianiuk's glovesmen made certain that none of the Vikings got to see him a fourth time. After Klitzke reached on an error by Taylor Weckerly on a tricky short hop, the stocky junior started a textbook 5-4-3, game-ending double play as he snared a rocket off the bat of Aaron Frey and threw to Stangel, who turned the twin killing and sent the crowd home happy on Senior Night.
"This can help us get on the right track and do things right the first time," Demianiuk said. "We've had a lot of these go the other way."
