ALBANY - The baseball may have seemed like a beach ball to Monroe's Kramer Henning, the way he was hitting on Monday.
Henning reached base all five times he batted (3 for 3 with a home run, four RBIs and two walks) to lead the Monroe Senior Legion baseball team to a 10-7 win over Albany.
"I have been just seeing the ball really well lately and making good contact," Henning said. "We just wanted to get some runs on the board to get up on them and get into a groove."
Henning wasn't the only one who found his groove for Monroe. There were five Monroe players with multi-hit games, including Kevin Klopfenstein, who went 2 for 3 and drilled a solo homer to left in the third inning. The other players with multi-hit games included Drew Nafzger (2 for 4 with two RBIs), Matt Woodstock (2 for 4) and Mitchell Riese (2 for 5).
Woodstock, who played baseball in the spring for Orfordville Parkview, was the player of the year in the Rock Valley Conference this year.
Klopfenstein said his first home run he hit against Albany will be a memorable one.
"I didn't think it was actually gone," he said. "It felt really good because I have been struggling hitting lately."
Monroe (4-2) scored four runs in the first off of Albany starting pitcher Trent Gerlach. The big blow in the first came on Henning's three-run home run to left that gave Monroe a 3-0 lead. Gerlach pitched four innings and gave up seven runs (five earned) on nine hits. Albany's Boomer Detra pitched three innings in relief and gave up three runs on five hits.
Albany (1-3) answered, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first off of Monroe starting pitcher Kris Rieder. Albany's Tate Harnack and Carson Scheidegger each singled to open the first. Cole Jordan, who went 3 for 4 with two RBIs, delivered a two-run single to left to cut Monroe's lead to 4-2. Jordan came around to score when Monroe overthrew third.
"If you take out the first inning, where we gave them six or seven outs, we didn't play too bad," Albany coach Brian Dahl said. "It was a good game. Monroe is a good team."
Klopfenstein's solo homer in the third gave Monroe a 5-3 lead. Monroe tacked on two more runs in the fourth. Henning lined a single to left and Austin Burandt doubled to left. Taylor Riese and Nafzger then each came through with two-out RBI singles to give Monroe a 7-3 lead.
Monroe's offensive production didn't overshadow the stellar play in the field. Albany's Johnny Kallgren, who was 2 for 4 with two RBIs, delivered an RBI double to left off Monroe pitcher Josh Farrey. Albany had the bases loaded with only one out, but couldn't push across any more runs. Harnack, who went 2 for 4, lined out to Klopfenstein in center field. Klopfenstein made a perfect throw to second for an inning ending double play.
"That is a rally killer," Dahl said. "It happens. That's baseball."
Monroe's Jared Weber walked with the bases loaded in the sixth. Harnack had an RBI single and a second run scored on an overthrow on the play as Albany cut Monroe's lead to 8-6. Monroe's Mitchell Riese and Tyler Malcook turned a 4-6-3 inning ending double play to get out of a second bases loaded jam. Mitchell Riese and Malcook have now turned six double plays in six games.
"They are fun to watch," Monroe coach Eric Losenegger said. "We played aggressive defense, picked each other up and made plays when we needed to."
Monroe used four pitchers, but Farrey, who pitched three innings and gave up one run on four hits, earned the win. He struck out four and walked two. In the seventh, Kallgren again came through with a clutch RBI single off Henning to right, but Mitchell Riese made a perfect relay throw home and Burandt tagged out Jordan and hung on to the ball to end the game.
"We had some young guys step up and get some big hits," Dahl said, referring to Kallgren and Austin Ross.
Albany plays a doubleheader against Milton on Saturday and Monroe is entering a stretch where they play seven games in 11 days.
"It will be exciting if we keep playing like this when we get all of our guys back."
Henning reached base all five times he batted (3 for 3 with a home run, four RBIs and two walks) to lead the Monroe Senior Legion baseball team to a 10-7 win over Albany.
"I have been just seeing the ball really well lately and making good contact," Henning said. "We just wanted to get some runs on the board to get up on them and get into a groove."
Henning wasn't the only one who found his groove for Monroe. There were five Monroe players with multi-hit games, including Kevin Klopfenstein, who went 2 for 3 and drilled a solo homer to left in the third inning. The other players with multi-hit games included Drew Nafzger (2 for 4 with two RBIs), Matt Woodstock (2 for 4) and Mitchell Riese (2 for 5).
Woodstock, who played baseball in the spring for Orfordville Parkview, was the player of the year in the Rock Valley Conference this year.
Klopfenstein said his first home run he hit against Albany will be a memorable one.
"I didn't think it was actually gone," he said. "It felt really good because I have been struggling hitting lately."
Monroe (4-2) scored four runs in the first off of Albany starting pitcher Trent Gerlach. The big blow in the first came on Henning's three-run home run to left that gave Monroe a 3-0 lead. Gerlach pitched four innings and gave up seven runs (five earned) on nine hits. Albany's Boomer Detra pitched three innings in relief and gave up three runs on five hits.
Albany (1-3) answered, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first off of Monroe starting pitcher Kris Rieder. Albany's Tate Harnack and Carson Scheidegger each singled to open the first. Cole Jordan, who went 3 for 4 with two RBIs, delivered a two-run single to left to cut Monroe's lead to 4-2. Jordan came around to score when Monroe overthrew third.
"If you take out the first inning, where we gave them six or seven outs, we didn't play too bad," Albany coach Brian Dahl said. "It was a good game. Monroe is a good team."
Klopfenstein's solo homer in the third gave Monroe a 5-3 lead. Monroe tacked on two more runs in the fourth. Henning lined a single to left and Austin Burandt doubled to left. Taylor Riese and Nafzger then each came through with two-out RBI singles to give Monroe a 7-3 lead.
Monroe's offensive production didn't overshadow the stellar play in the field. Albany's Johnny Kallgren, who was 2 for 4 with two RBIs, delivered an RBI double to left off Monroe pitcher Josh Farrey. Albany had the bases loaded with only one out, but couldn't push across any more runs. Harnack, who went 2 for 4, lined out to Klopfenstein in center field. Klopfenstein made a perfect throw to second for an inning ending double play.
"That is a rally killer," Dahl said. "It happens. That's baseball."
Monroe's Jared Weber walked with the bases loaded in the sixth. Harnack had an RBI single and a second run scored on an overthrow on the play as Albany cut Monroe's lead to 8-6. Monroe's Mitchell Riese and Tyler Malcook turned a 4-6-3 inning ending double play to get out of a second bases loaded jam. Mitchell Riese and Malcook have now turned six double plays in six games.
"They are fun to watch," Monroe coach Eric Losenegger said. "We played aggressive defense, picked each other up and made plays when we needed to."
Monroe used four pitchers, but Farrey, who pitched three innings and gave up one run on four hits, earned the win. He struck out four and walked two. In the seventh, Kallgren again came through with a clutch RBI single off Henning to right, but Mitchell Riese made a perfect relay throw home and Burandt tagged out Jordan and hung on to the ball to end the game.
"We had some young guys step up and get some big hits," Dahl said, referring to Kallgren and Austin Ross.
Albany plays a doubleheader against Milton on Saturday and Monroe is entering a stretch where they play seven games in 11 days.
"It will be exciting if we keep playing like this when we get all of our guys back."
