MILTON - Monroe junior starting pitcher Jared Cline took a line drive off his hand and had to leave the game early, but the Cheesemakers stormed back from a six-run deficit to tie the game before the Red Hawks pulled out a 13-12 win Thursday.
Monroe (0-7, 0-5 Badger South) trailed 9-3 going into the sixth inning. The Cheesemakers had a six-run sixth to tie the game at 9. The Cheesemakers pounded out 13 hits.
"Everyone was swinging the bat well," Monroe coach Eric Losengger said. "It was an offensive game for both teams. There were no cheap ones. When we got down 9-3 we could have packed it in and got on the bus. I'm very proud of the effort."
Monroe junior Nick Benkert, who went 3-for-4 with one RBI, doubled to right leading off the sixth. Sophomore Jared Dillon walked and junior Max Lange bunted for a single. Benkert scored on a wild pitch and senior John Fuller knocked in a run on a sacrifice fly to cut the Red Hawks' lead to 9-4. Senior Hunter Ward, who went 2 for-4 with three RBIs, had an RBI single. The other key hits in the inning came on junior Dagon Rach's RBI single to center to score junior Jared Baumgartner and Benkert's RBI single that scored Ward to tie the game at 9.
Rach went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and Baumgartner also drove in two runs for the Cheesemakers.
Baumgartner pitched three innings for the Cheesemakers and gave up five runs (four earned) on five hits, while striking out three and walking one. Lange tossed two innings and gave up five earned runs on five hits, struck out one and walked one.
Cline had a line drive ricochet off his hand to his chest in the first inning and battled to get through the frame. When he went out to warm up in the second, his hand started to swell and Losenegger pulled him from the game.
Milton's Payton Belk went 4-for-5 with four RBIs and Sam Beers was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Milton's Fletcher Terrill tossed 1 2/3 innings in relief to get the win. He gave up four runs on seven hits, struck out two and walked two.
Monroe (0-7, 0-5 Badger South) trailed 9-3 going into the sixth inning. The Cheesemakers had a six-run sixth to tie the game at 9. The Cheesemakers pounded out 13 hits.
"Everyone was swinging the bat well," Monroe coach Eric Losengger said. "It was an offensive game for both teams. There were no cheap ones. When we got down 9-3 we could have packed it in and got on the bus. I'm very proud of the effort."
Monroe junior Nick Benkert, who went 3-for-4 with one RBI, doubled to right leading off the sixth. Sophomore Jared Dillon walked and junior Max Lange bunted for a single. Benkert scored on a wild pitch and senior John Fuller knocked in a run on a sacrifice fly to cut the Red Hawks' lead to 9-4. Senior Hunter Ward, who went 2 for-4 with three RBIs, had an RBI single. The other key hits in the inning came on junior Dagon Rach's RBI single to center to score junior Jared Baumgartner and Benkert's RBI single that scored Ward to tie the game at 9.
Rach went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and Baumgartner also drove in two runs for the Cheesemakers.
Baumgartner pitched three innings for the Cheesemakers and gave up five runs (four earned) on five hits, while striking out three and walking one. Lange tossed two innings and gave up five earned runs on five hits, struck out one and walked one.
Cline had a line drive ricochet off his hand to his chest in the first inning and battled to get through the frame. When he went out to warm up in the second, his hand started to swell and Losenegger pulled him from the game.
Milton's Payton Belk went 4-for-5 with four RBIs and Sam Beers was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Milton's Fletcher Terrill tossed 1 2/3 innings in relief to get the win. He gave up four runs on seven hits, struck out two and walked two.
