STOUGHTON — It took 706 days, but the Cheesemakers returned to the diamond — and won.
It was the bats that put Monroe up early. Evan Beyer opened the season with a scorching double in the leadoff spot and scored moments later on a Henry Brukwicki single. Charles Briggs and Tyler Matley were both hit by pitches to load the bases, and Trevor Schmitt walked in a run, which made it five straight Monroe baserunners to open the season. With two outs, Preston Ambrose walked in another run.
“We jumped out early with a couple of base hits, put together some good AB’s and ran their starter’s pitch count up. Then Henry came in and shut them down in the first,” said Eric Losenegger, Monroe’s coach.
To keep the momentum on Monroe’s side, Brukwicki pitched a 1-2-3 bottom half of the inning with two strikeouts. Beyer led off the second with a walk and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Matley. Brukwicki scored moments later on a wild pitch to put the Cheesemakers ahead 5-0.
In the third inning, Beyer flexed his muscles with a 3-run home run to left, putting Monroe firmly in the lead at 8-0. Stoughton got back a run in the bottom of the inning, with Monroe scoring a run in each of the fifth and seventh innings.
Brukwicki left after four innings of work, but reliever Kollin Zahradka was met with some trouble on the mound, allowing four unearned runs in 2/3 of an inning. Sophomore George Brukwicki came in to finish the fifth, then worked the sixth and seventh to earn his first varsity save.
Losenegger was pleased with his team’s collective effort.
“It was the little things — we threw more strikes than they did, put more balls in play and made fewer errors,” he said.
Beyer was 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs. Briggs finished 2-for-3 with 2 runs. Henry Brukwicki scored three times and Schmitt finished with 2 RBIs.
Henry Brukwicki struck out 5 and allowed a single hit and 5 walks in 4 innings of work — with just one earned run. George Brukwicki allowed one hit and one walk with a strikeout in 2 1/3 innings on the hill.
“By no means did (Henry Brukwicki) have his best stuff, but he put up zeroes for us,” Losenegger said. “George’s first game on varsity and he gets a save. He came in and got us out of a jam in the fifth.”
Dodgeville 11, Pecatonica 6
BLANCHARDVILLE — Four errors hurt the Vikings in the season opener April 27. Pecatonica sent out five pitchers who threw a combined 173 pitches, allowing 7 earned runs, 10 hits and 9 walks while striking out 8. Dodgeville threw nearly 50 fewer pitches, walked 7, allowed 8 hits and 6 runs — all earned — with 5 Ks.
The Dodgers scored a run in the top of the first, two in the second and two more in the third, staking themselves to a 5-0 lead before the Vikings could get two to cross the plate in the bottom of the third. Dodgeville added another run in the fourth, two in the fifth and three in the sixth to make it 11-2. Pecatonica added another run in the sixth and three in the bottom of the seventh.
Bryce Johnsrud had two hits and a walk for the Vikings. Coy Ruegsegger had a hit, walk and 3 RBIs. Dakota Doescher added two runs and Hunter Enloe belted a double.
Platteville 8, Darlington 7
DARLINGTON — The Redbirds lost a nail-biter in the season opener April 27.
The Hillmen scored five runs in the top of the first to make Darlington play catchup from the beginning. The Redbirds put two on the board in the bottom half of the inning on a two-run blast by freshman Breylin Goebel.
Platteville scored again in the top of the second, but Darlington put up a 4-spot in the bottom half of the inning to tie it at 6. Brady Horne started the rally with a solo blast to right field, then Braden Davis singled home Cayden Rankin. Davis came around to score after an error and two passed balls, then Carter Lancaster scored on an error.
The teams traded runs over the next two innings, but Platteville scored the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth on a groundout to short.
Davis labored through 66 pitches in just two innings on the mound to start the game, allowing 6 runs (one earned) on two hits and eight walks with a strikeout. Gage Banfield came on in relief, tossing 76 pitches in five innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 4 hits and 3 walks with 5 strikeouts.
At the dish, no Redbird had more than two hits, but Davis and Lancaster each scored two runs.
Belmont 20, Argyle 4
ARGYLE — The Braves scored six runs in the first, five in the second and the third, three in the fourth and added another run in the fifth for good measure in a season-opening mercy rule win over the Orioles April 27.
Argyle scored two runs in both the third and fourth innings. Alex Gilbertson was 2-for-3 with a run, while Max Godfrey had 2 RBIs. Clay Ritschard had a hit and a walk with a run, and Jayden Johnson had a double for Argyle’s only extra base hit of the night. Belmont also had just one extra base hit — a double.
Ritschard was tagged for the loss on the hill, allowing 11 runs, all earned, on 74 pitches in just 1 2/3 innings of work. He gave up 6 hits and 6 walks while striking out 3. Johnson pitched 1/3 of an inning of relief, allowing five runs (two earned) on 28 pitches with 3 walks, a hit and a strikeout. Godfrey tossed two innings, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk, and Will Helfvogt pitched the final inning, allowing an unearned run while striking out two.
Palmyra Eagle 33, Monticello-Albany 0
ALBANY — The Ponies co-op struggled in the season opener April 27. Palmyra-Eagle finished the night with three home runs and six doubles.
The Panthers scored nine runs in the first inning, 10 in the second, six in the third, five in the fourth and three more in the fifth. Palmyra-Eagle finished the night with 22 hits, 10 walks and 9 hit-by-pitches. Monticello-Albany added three errors. Pony hitters walked four times and struck out 10, with Evan Rufer breaking up the no-hitter with two outs in the final inning.
