MONROE — The opening round of the WIAA Division 2 baseball tournament on June 10 between Monroe and Brodhead-Juda was well worth the price of admission ($6). The two teams trotted out their staff aces, who then went punch for punch in a pitcher’s duel. 

In the end, Monroe walked it off in the bottom of the eighth inning to advance to play at 10th-ranked Beloit Turner.

Monroe’s Henry Brukwicki reached the 100-pitch limit in the top of the eighth inning. He was replaced by brother George, who needed just two pitches to get a flyout to end the frame. Henry Brukwicki’s pitching line included 13 strikeouts, five hits and zero walks in 7.2 innings of work. He hit the black on 71% of his pitches.

“I was pretty locked in,” Henry Brukwicki said. “It was super fun to pitch tonight. I knew I had a great defense behind me, so I could just throw my game and not try to do anything special.”

“I don’t know what to say about Henry tonight. That guy was ‘a dude’,” Monroe coach Eric Losenegger said. “Both pitchers brought it — the Malkow kid was as-advertised. He is a No. 1 Badger Conference starter. He is good. We put together some really good at-bats against him to drive up his pitch count in a couple of those innings, and I think that helped with the heat.”

Brodhead-Juda ace Brady Malkow’s pitching line included six strikeouts, three hits, one earned run and three walks in 6.2 innings of work.

“He’s our guy, and this was just a hell of a game to be a part of,” Brodhead-Juda coach Aaron Guilbault said. “Their guy had the same gutsy performance. Brady has been our horse all year long. I don’t want to say I expected this out of him, but I expected it. I knew it was going to be a great game, and he didn’t disappoint.”

Brodhead-Juda (5-16) scored a run in the top of the first, as each of the first three hitters singled. Aidyn Vondra led off the game with a hit up the middle, then went to third when Chase Harnack did the same one pitch later. Brady Malkow fell behind 1-0 in the count before legging out an infield single to short, driving in Vondra. 

“I always tell the kids that if we give ourselves opportunities, I like our chances,” Guilbault said. “We’ll try to find a way to manufacture some runs. We had a prime opportunity with nobody out and could only get one run. It was probably the difference in the game.”

Henry Brukwicki settled down after that, inducing two infield popups and a groundout to short to end the threat. It was the first playoff start of his career on the mound, and he said he felt a few early butterflies, but he got those out of his system after the first inning.

“I just kept throwing my stuff. I didn’t change anything mechanics wise or the ball. My guys picked me up like I knew that they would and they got me out of it. The defense tonight was awesome. It was so fun to pitch.”

Malkow flashed his ace status early on. He struck out Monroe’s leadoff hitter, and then induced a double play on Charles Briggs after Henry Brukwicki singled. 

Both pitchers allowed just one hit over the next four innings. Connor Green singled with one out in the fourth and got as far as third, but was left stranded 90-feet from home plate. In the bottom of the fifth, Monroe’s Max Golembiewski singled to right with one out and was also was left stranded at third by inning’s end.

In the sixth, Malkow dropped down a bunt and reached on a throwing error, which allowed him to reach second base. Cade Walker then singled to center, but Malkow’s courtesy runner Joey Ross was held up at third. Connor Green then grounded into a fielder’s choice at third, where Colin Foley looked back the runner and slung a throw to second to get the force out. Two pitches later, Green took off to steal second, with Ross headed home on the throw. However, Briggs cut off the throw to second and returned fire to catcher Trevor Schmitt, who laid tagged out Ross inches before the plate. Dylan Lewis grounded out two pitches later to end the inning.

“They had their opportunities, too, but we made a few plays, much like they did. Defensively to step up and help Henry out when he needed it was huge. We didn’t field everything clean, but it wasn’t in key, crucial situations where it starts to merry-go-round,” Losenegger said.

In the bottom half of the frame, the Cheesemakers (6-13) were finally able to break through on Malkow. Briggs doubled to deep center to lead off the inning, then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Preston Ambrose. George Brukwicki then drew a walk to put runners at the corners. On a 1-2 count, George stole second, with Brodhead-Juda pump faking Briggs back to the bag at third. On the next pitch, Foley hammered a ball to left, deep enough to score Briggs on a sac fly to tie the game at 1-1.

“It felt like every inning we had a guy on second base and we just couldn’t come up with that big hit,” Losenegger said. “Then there in the sixth we strung a few together and Colin Foley came up and crushed a ball for a sacrifice to left. It was the spark that we needed and kind of broke loose.”

Monroe nearly won it in the seventh. Schmitt reached on an error at second to leadoff the inning. Courtesy runner Ethan Mapel stole second and reached third on a wild pitch against new reliever Cade Walker, who replaced Malkow with two outs in the frame. Malkow had reached the 100-pitch limit himself.

Henry Brukwicki grounded out to short to end the inning. However, he walked back out to the mound for the eighth and struck out back-to-back batters. George Brukwicki sat down Malkow for the third out on a fly out to left.

In the bottom of the eighth, Briggs doubled to left to lead off the inning. The Cardinals opted to intentionally walk Ambrose in hopes of inducing a double play. However, a wild pitch moved both runners up, so George Brukwicki was also intentionally walked — loading the bases with no outs.

“It was the right call — Aaron made the right call,” Losenegger said.

The very next pitch was also wild, hitting the back stop. Briggs sprinted through home plate and into the arms of on-deck batter Matt Sniff.

“We put our senior out there on the mound, and we felt good about that. We liked our chances with Cade out there,” Guilbault said. “When they lead off the bottom half with a double, it kind of takes the winds out of your sails. That’s all it takes, especially in extras.”

Walker was tagged with the loss, allowing an earned run on a hit and two walks in 1/3 of an inning. 

Guilbault said his team started hitting its stride about two weeks prior, but that the playoff opener was “probably the best we’ve played” all season long.

“I know it probably doesn’t seem like it or feel like it right now to the kids, but I am really proud of them,” Guilbault said. “I talked to a few of our freshmen and sophomores this morning — I told them they are the foundation and the core of this program and the culture we want to build here. I asked them that when we are done, will they come back better next year? Hopefully that answer is ‘yes’. Getting in the cage; ball throwing programs — we’ve got a lot of opportunities.”

The Cheesemakers were taking two days off of team activities to rest from the heat — but also to mentally prepare for what’s next: A regional semifinal July 15 at Turner (18-3).

“We’ll take a couple days to get mentally ready. We’re going over to one of the best teams in the state year in and year out. Jeff (Clowes) does an awesome job over there. They are so well coached. They are going to do the little things right, and we need to be as fine as we can be and as clean as be, and if Henry can 

The winner gets either Edgerton or Clinton for the regional championship June 16. Sectionals are scheduled to be played at Brodhead June 22.