OREGON - Juniors Cole Murray and Hogan Edwards delivered clutch hits and the Monroe High School baseball team created some two-out magic in the seventh inning for a comeback 6-5 win over Oregon on Tuesday.
Monroe (9-7) surges into a first-place lead atop the Badger South. At 5-3 in the conference, the Cheesemakers are one-half game ahead of Fort Atkinson (4-2) and a game ahead of Oregon (4-3) with four games remaining.
"We have put ourselves in the driver's seat," Monroe coach Dustin Huffman said. "We control our own destiny. We are in a great spot. We still have a long way to go."
The Cheesemakers entered the seventh trailing 4-3 and then rallied to score three runs after two were out.
Sophomore Hunter Ward walked. Junior Carter Sawdey hustled down the line to reach first on a fielder's choice and broke up a potential game-ending double play. With new life, the Cheesemakers came alive. Murray came through with an RBI single just over the second baseman's head to score Sawdey to tie the game at 4. Monroe senior Garrett Gogin walked. Senior Jaron Kuester, who went 2-for-3 with a home run, double and two RBI, walked to bring in the game-tying run. Edwards then lined a two-run single to left to give the Cheesemakers a 6-4 lead.
Edwards pitched 62⁄3 innings to get the win. He gave up two earned runs on 12 hits. He struck out five and walked one. He ran into a jam in the seventh. Monroe's Brad Ripp came in to pitch after a run had scored and with the game-tying run at third base and got a game-ending groundout to Murray at second base.
"That was a big spot for Brad to come in," Huffman said. "I told them when we were out on the mound these are the fun games. I told them this is what baseball is about. We haven't been in these big situations in a long time. He came out of the bullpen and looked focused. That was a big pitch. He didn't look nervous at all."
Edwards went 2-for-4 with two RBI to help his own cause. Murray went 2-for-4, and Gogin had a key two-run go-ahead single in the third.
Monroe (9-7) surges into a first-place lead atop the Badger South. At 5-3 in the conference, the Cheesemakers are one-half game ahead of Fort Atkinson (4-2) and a game ahead of Oregon (4-3) with four games remaining.
"We have put ourselves in the driver's seat," Monroe coach Dustin Huffman said. "We control our own destiny. We are in a great spot. We still have a long way to go."
The Cheesemakers entered the seventh trailing 4-3 and then rallied to score three runs after two were out.
Sophomore Hunter Ward walked. Junior Carter Sawdey hustled down the line to reach first on a fielder's choice and broke up a potential game-ending double play. With new life, the Cheesemakers came alive. Murray came through with an RBI single just over the second baseman's head to score Sawdey to tie the game at 4. Monroe senior Garrett Gogin walked. Senior Jaron Kuester, who went 2-for-3 with a home run, double and two RBI, walked to bring in the game-tying run. Edwards then lined a two-run single to left to give the Cheesemakers a 6-4 lead.
Edwards pitched 62⁄3 innings to get the win. He gave up two earned runs on 12 hits. He struck out five and walked one. He ran into a jam in the seventh. Monroe's Brad Ripp came in to pitch after a run had scored and with the game-tying run at third base and got a game-ending groundout to Murray at second base.
"That was a big spot for Brad to come in," Huffman said. "I told them when we were out on the mound these are the fun games. I told them this is what baseball is about. We haven't been in these big situations in a long time. He came out of the bullpen and looked focused. That was a big pitch. He didn't look nervous at all."
Edwards went 2-for-4 with two RBI to help his own cause. Murray went 2-for-4, and Gogin had a key two-run go-ahead single in the third.
