MONROE - If there's something positive about Monroe's baseball season, it's that the Cheesemakers can string together some big innings at the plate. The negative is the inability to keep their opposing team from scoring.
"We've hit the ball well all year," Monroe coach Dustin Huffman said, after his team's 11-7 loss to Oregon on Monday. "When you put up seven runs you're in a good position to win. But our pitching today was the direct result of a lot of walks and hit batters. We walked seven guys and hit two more."
Using a big 5-run fifth inning, the Cheesemakers cornered the Panthers and held a 7-4 lead. But Huffman wanted to stretch starting pitcher Mitch Marty to six innings before going to the bullpen.
"We were hoping to extend him because we don't plan on using him to pitch again until next week," Huffman said. "We wanted him to make it through the sixth, but they (Oregon) are a better hitting team than they were on Friday when we last played them. They figured him out the more they saw him."
The decision turned into a game of 'what-could-have-been?' as Oregon tagged Marty for four unanswered runs in the frame.
Kramer Henning came in to pitch in relief, allowing one inherited runner to score and two more in the top of the seventh inning.
"We played some sloppy 'D' at times, too," Huffman said.
Marty never really was able to get comfortable on the hill. In the top of the first Oregon loaded the bases, only to have Brady Turk ground into a 5-2-3 double play in which third baseman Dylan Cleaveland made a sensational play.
Oregon strung together four straight hits in the second, to go up 2-0, and again had the bases loaded in the fourth - only to see Marty get out of a jam again.
Henning continued his hot streak at the plate, roping a 2-run double to left center to tie the score up at 2. In Monroe's last six games, Henning is 13 for 20 with a home run, six doubles and 15 RBIs.
"I've been seeing the ball a lot better than at the beginning of the year," Henning said, "which is a good sign."
After a somewhat slow start to the season, Henning, who was an all-conference selection a year ago, has really caught on fire.
"It kind of just happened. I worked on my swing a little bit after the start of the season, and it's starting to show I guess," Henning said.
"He's really seeing the ball well. I give him a lot of credit for what his done lately," Huffman said of Henning.
Oregon scored a run in both the fourth and fifth innings to put the Cheesemakers down 4-2. That's when Monroe's bats came alive in unison.
With one on and one out, Mitch Riese broke his strikeout streak with a single and Henning followed with his second double of the day, plating a run. Mitch Marty then hit into a fielder's choice, but Oregon's Andy Behrend threw high to home and everyone was safe. Marty advanced to second with no one covering.
Austin Burandt then hit a high fly to left, but Jake Gundlach let the ball bounce off the foot of his glove, which allowed Drew Nafzger to bat with two on and still just one out. Nafzger hit a sacrifice fly to right and Kevin Klopfenstein struck out on a wild pitch that allowed another run to score. The ninth batter of the inning, Cleaveland, struck out to end the frame.
"When we're on the top of our game, we can be really good," Huffman said.
With playoffs just over a week away, the Cheesemakers are getting themselves into postseason mode now.
"We're treating our game against Stoughton as a regional game. The same goes for our games against Baraboo. We need to shore up everything," Huffman said.
Monroe hosts Stoughton today and then has a doubleheader on Friday at Baraboo. The season finale is next Monday at Madison Edgewood.
"We've hit the ball well all year," Monroe coach Dustin Huffman said, after his team's 11-7 loss to Oregon on Monday. "When you put up seven runs you're in a good position to win. But our pitching today was the direct result of a lot of walks and hit batters. We walked seven guys and hit two more."
Using a big 5-run fifth inning, the Cheesemakers cornered the Panthers and held a 7-4 lead. But Huffman wanted to stretch starting pitcher Mitch Marty to six innings before going to the bullpen.
"We were hoping to extend him because we don't plan on using him to pitch again until next week," Huffman said. "We wanted him to make it through the sixth, but they (Oregon) are a better hitting team than they were on Friday when we last played them. They figured him out the more they saw him."
The decision turned into a game of 'what-could-have-been?' as Oregon tagged Marty for four unanswered runs in the frame.
Kramer Henning came in to pitch in relief, allowing one inherited runner to score and two more in the top of the seventh inning.
"We played some sloppy 'D' at times, too," Huffman said.
Marty never really was able to get comfortable on the hill. In the top of the first Oregon loaded the bases, only to have Brady Turk ground into a 5-2-3 double play in which third baseman Dylan Cleaveland made a sensational play.
Oregon strung together four straight hits in the second, to go up 2-0, and again had the bases loaded in the fourth - only to see Marty get out of a jam again.
Henning continued his hot streak at the plate, roping a 2-run double to left center to tie the score up at 2. In Monroe's last six games, Henning is 13 for 20 with a home run, six doubles and 15 RBIs.
"I've been seeing the ball a lot better than at the beginning of the year," Henning said, "which is a good sign."
After a somewhat slow start to the season, Henning, who was an all-conference selection a year ago, has really caught on fire.
"It kind of just happened. I worked on my swing a little bit after the start of the season, and it's starting to show I guess," Henning said.
"He's really seeing the ball well. I give him a lot of credit for what his done lately," Huffman said of Henning.
Oregon scored a run in both the fourth and fifth innings to put the Cheesemakers down 4-2. That's when Monroe's bats came alive in unison.
With one on and one out, Mitch Riese broke his strikeout streak with a single and Henning followed with his second double of the day, plating a run. Mitch Marty then hit into a fielder's choice, but Oregon's Andy Behrend threw high to home and everyone was safe. Marty advanced to second with no one covering.
Austin Burandt then hit a high fly to left, but Jake Gundlach let the ball bounce off the foot of his glove, which allowed Drew Nafzger to bat with two on and still just one out. Nafzger hit a sacrifice fly to right and Kevin Klopfenstein struck out on a wild pitch that allowed another run to score. The ninth batter of the inning, Cleaveland, struck out to end the frame.
"When we're on the top of our game, we can be really good," Huffman said.
With playoffs just over a week away, the Cheesemakers are getting themselves into postseason mode now.
"We're treating our game against Stoughton as a regional game. The same goes for our games against Baraboo. We need to shore up everything," Huffman said.
Monroe hosts Stoughton today and then has a doubleheader on Friday at Baraboo. The season finale is next Monday at Madison Edgewood.
