MONROE - The Monroe baseball team looks to get on a roll and build a winning streak heading into WIAA Division 2 regional play in 10 days.
Monroe sophomore Jaron Kuester did his part going 2-for-3 with two RBI in an 11-5 Badger South Conference loss to Milton Thursday.
Monroe (2-18, 1-11 Badger South) pounded out 10 hits as a team, but went 3-for-13 hitting with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base.
"We should have scored more runs," said Kuester, who had two doubles. "We made a couple of base-running mistakes. We just left too many stranded. We just have to clutch up and get those hits in those situations."
The Cheesemakers got off to a fast start. Kuester led off with a double to left. Monroe's Carter Adkins followed with an RBI single to center to score Kuester to give the Cheesemakers a 1-0 lead. Adkins stole second and junior Sean Saxby doubled, but Adkins was thrown out rounding third base.
"That is probably the best we have hit offensively in the first inning all season," Monroe coach Dustin Huffman said. "We probably should have scored three runs. Baseball is one of those sports where it takes a complete effort in pitching, hitting, defense and base running. It takes so many aspects if we are going to be competitive."
Kuester was confident the Cheesemakers could beat the Red Hawks.
"It felt good to get out in front of a team," he said. "We knew we could compete with them."
The Red Hawks got to Monroe junior starting pitcher Lucas Neuenschwander in the second inning with Milton's Robert Guenther blasting a solo home run to left to tie the game at 1. Milton's Gavin Williams singled and Hunter Jensen followed, lining a double to left. Milton's Randy Lipke, who went 4-for-4 with four RBI, delivered a two-run single to right to give the Red Hawks a 3-1 lead. Evan Whitehead tacked on an RBI single to extend the Red Hawks' lead to 4-1.
The Cheesemakers looked to battle back from a 5-1 deficit in the third. Monroe's Matt Coplien singled and Milton starting pitcher Connor Bowen walked Brian Wang and Mitch Swanson to load the bases. Bowen then struck out Neuenschwander and walked Kuester with the bases loaded on a series of changeups to slice the Red Hawks' lead to 5-2. Bowen got out of the jam when Adkins flied out to center.
"Jaron is a smart enough kid and he knows he wasn't going to see anything good," Huffman said. "He is turning into the player we envisioned. He's getting big hits as a lead-off hitter and he's a leader in the outfield."
The Red Hawks broke the game open with a five-run sixth off Neuenschwander. Neuenschwander walked Milton's Justin Lynch. Tyler Westrick singled. Guenther knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly to center. The big blows in the sixth came on Jensen's two-run single to center and Lipke's two-run single to right to give the Red Hawks a 10-2 lead.
The Cheesemakers rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth, but couldn't push across any more runs after that. Wang singled leading off the sixth. Monroe junior Desmond Ford blooped a single to left and Neuenschwander reached on an error on a bunt. Kuester drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to center and junior Chase Hellenbrand had an RBI single that cut the Red Hawks' lead to 10-5.
Ford went 2-for-2 and Hellenbrand was 2-for-4 with one RBI. Neuenschwander pitched a complete game and gave up 11 runs on 13 hits. He struck out four and walked three.
"They (Milton) started seeing the ball really well," Huffman said of the Red Hawks' five-run sixth. "He's a kid who will keep the ball on the corners. It just comes down to our defense making plays."
Monroe has four regular season games left before opening up regional play at Clinton Tuesday, June 3. The Cheesemakers host Orfordville Parkview in a doubleheader at 11 a.m. Saturday.
"It's all about the next four games and getting ready for the regional at Clinton," Huffman said. "If someone makes a mistake, we need someone to step up to make a play and stop the bleeding. We have four more games to get it corrected."
Monroe sophomore Jaron Kuester did his part going 2-for-3 with two RBI in an 11-5 Badger South Conference loss to Milton Thursday.
Monroe (2-18, 1-11 Badger South) pounded out 10 hits as a team, but went 3-for-13 hitting with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base.
"We should have scored more runs," said Kuester, who had two doubles. "We made a couple of base-running mistakes. We just left too many stranded. We just have to clutch up and get those hits in those situations."
The Cheesemakers got off to a fast start. Kuester led off with a double to left. Monroe's Carter Adkins followed with an RBI single to center to score Kuester to give the Cheesemakers a 1-0 lead. Adkins stole second and junior Sean Saxby doubled, but Adkins was thrown out rounding third base.
"That is probably the best we have hit offensively in the first inning all season," Monroe coach Dustin Huffman said. "We probably should have scored three runs. Baseball is one of those sports where it takes a complete effort in pitching, hitting, defense and base running. It takes so many aspects if we are going to be competitive."
Kuester was confident the Cheesemakers could beat the Red Hawks.
"It felt good to get out in front of a team," he said. "We knew we could compete with them."
The Red Hawks got to Monroe junior starting pitcher Lucas Neuenschwander in the second inning with Milton's Robert Guenther blasting a solo home run to left to tie the game at 1. Milton's Gavin Williams singled and Hunter Jensen followed, lining a double to left. Milton's Randy Lipke, who went 4-for-4 with four RBI, delivered a two-run single to right to give the Red Hawks a 3-1 lead. Evan Whitehead tacked on an RBI single to extend the Red Hawks' lead to 4-1.
The Cheesemakers looked to battle back from a 5-1 deficit in the third. Monroe's Matt Coplien singled and Milton starting pitcher Connor Bowen walked Brian Wang and Mitch Swanson to load the bases. Bowen then struck out Neuenschwander and walked Kuester with the bases loaded on a series of changeups to slice the Red Hawks' lead to 5-2. Bowen got out of the jam when Adkins flied out to center.
"Jaron is a smart enough kid and he knows he wasn't going to see anything good," Huffman said. "He is turning into the player we envisioned. He's getting big hits as a lead-off hitter and he's a leader in the outfield."
The Red Hawks broke the game open with a five-run sixth off Neuenschwander. Neuenschwander walked Milton's Justin Lynch. Tyler Westrick singled. Guenther knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly to center. The big blows in the sixth came on Jensen's two-run single to center and Lipke's two-run single to right to give the Red Hawks a 10-2 lead.
The Cheesemakers rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth, but couldn't push across any more runs after that. Wang singled leading off the sixth. Monroe junior Desmond Ford blooped a single to left and Neuenschwander reached on an error on a bunt. Kuester drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to center and junior Chase Hellenbrand had an RBI single that cut the Red Hawks' lead to 10-5.
Ford went 2-for-2 and Hellenbrand was 2-for-4 with one RBI. Neuenschwander pitched a complete game and gave up 11 runs on 13 hits. He struck out four and walked three.
"They (Milton) started seeing the ball really well," Huffman said of the Red Hawks' five-run sixth. "He's a kid who will keep the ball on the corners. It just comes down to our defense making plays."
Monroe has four regular season games left before opening up regional play at Clinton Tuesday, June 3. The Cheesemakers host Orfordville Parkview in a doubleheader at 11 a.m. Saturday.
"It's all about the next four games and getting ready for the regional at Clinton," Huffman said. "If someone makes a mistake, we need someone to step up to make a play and stop the bleeding. We have four more games to get it corrected."
