MONROE - Neither Monroe's regulars nor a makeshift lineup could beat Lena-Winslow on Saturday.
The Cheesemakers dropped both ends of a home baseball doubleheader to the Illinois school, 10-6 and 20-9.
Monroe pitched its ace, Mike Demianiuk, in the first game, which the Cheesemakers lost when the Panthers scored four seventh-inning runs. In the second game, Monroe played its backups and used several pitchers.
"We didn't get anything out of our starting pitching," Monroe coach Steve Christensen said. "You know you have as many innings to play in a game as you do and you can only get two innings out of a starter and no innings out of a starter, and this kind of stuff is going to happen."
Game 1
Demianiuk didn't last long on the hill. After a scoreless first inning, the Panthers lit up the southpaw, scoring four runs on four hits. The Cheesemakers also committed two errors - a costly throw that allowed a run, and a missed fly ball in the outfield that led to two runs and a player getting left on third base.
"We had a lot of errors and played some poor defense," Christensen said.
Monroe had scored two runs in the bottom of the first. The Cheese loaded the bases on two hits and an error and two passed balls allowed both runs to score. There still were runners on first and third after a walk, but the next three hitters struck out.
"We should have had more runs throughout the game. We left some guys on third base," Christensen said.
After Monroe went down in order in the second, Lena-Winslow's Adam Blair led off the third inning with a solo home run to right field.
Christensen relieved Demianiuk for third baseman Cory Kundert, who escaped the inning with no further damage.
In the bottom of the third, Monroe plated two more runners. Scott Kline and Demianiuk both walked to start the inning, and moved to second and third on another passed ball. Taylor Weckerly hit into a fielder's choice that was thrown home, but all the runners were safe. Demianiuk scored the second run of the inning on other passed ball. Weckerly ended the inning stuck on third again.
Monroe took the lead in the sixth. Mike Rear singled before getting thrown out at second on a fielder's choice by Alex Dammen, and Mitch Marty was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up a base and scored on a single just over the head of the third baseman by Scott Kline, giving the Cheese makers a 6-5 lead.
Lena-Winslow tied the score in the fifth, and the two teams went into the seventh tied at 6.
The Panthers scored four in the seventh off three hits, three walks and a suicide squeeze. Monroe went down in the bottom half of the inning in order to end the game.
Blair pitched the complete game for Lena-Winslow, and went 3-for-4 at the plate with the homer and two doubles.
Game 2
Monroe's starting pitcher Jon Elmer had logged just a few innings this season, and was roughed up early Saturday.
Lena-Winslow scored seven runs in the first inning, forcing Christensen to go Marty in relief.
After the top of the first, a 20-minute rain delay cooled the heat, but not the Panthers.
Lena-Winslow scored another seven runs over the next two innings, taking a 14-2 lead.
Monroe lost first baseman Justin Rackow when a hard grounder down the first-base line took a hop off his glove and caromed directly into his left eye. The junior hunted down the ball just a few feet away, but after picking it up could not step on the bag for the out. He was helped off the field and relieved by Weckerly for the rest of the game.
The Cheesemakers scored four runs in the third inning. Weckerly walked to lead off the inning, Rear singled and both were driven in on Steve Knox's double.
Mike Wolf shellacked an RBI single to right field that the fielder misplayed, and Wolf dug his way around to third, then scored on a wild pitch.
Taylor Riese pitched a scoreless fourth for Monroe and Dammen did the same in the fifth. The Panthers scored two runs off Dammen in the sixth, but Monroe responded by scoring two more runs in the bottom half of the inning.
With the 10-run rule unable to end the game early, the Panthers capped their impressive day at the plate by scoring four more runs. The Cheesemakers could only make up one run in its last at-bat.
"I told the guys that this is not the way the game is supposed to be played," Christensen said.
Knox was 3-for-3 in the game with a pair of doubles, a walk and two runs. Rear was 2-for-5 with two runs, and Taylor Huffman was 2-for-3 with two doubles, a walk and a run.
"We had some guys hit the ball that I didn't expect to hit the ball, but we also had some guys not do anything out in the field. The game is more than swinging three times a game, and right now some of them don't understand that," Christensen said.
Blair went 4-for-6 in the second game with a double, and the Panthers finished with 17 hits in the second game and 39 on the day.
Monroe has the daunting task of playing Oregon on Tuesday.
"I hope we can get some better pitching this week," Christensen said. "Oregon is undefeated and one of the better teams in conference. We're going to have to try to find enough innings out of pitching for that one, and I don't know if we can. We're going to have to try to clean some things up on Monday, but if it rains again, it doesn't leave us with much to work on."
The Cheesemakers dropped both ends of a home baseball doubleheader to the Illinois school, 10-6 and 20-9.
Monroe pitched its ace, Mike Demianiuk, in the first game, which the Cheesemakers lost when the Panthers scored four seventh-inning runs. In the second game, Monroe played its backups and used several pitchers.
"We didn't get anything out of our starting pitching," Monroe coach Steve Christensen said. "You know you have as many innings to play in a game as you do and you can only get two innings out of a starter and no innings out of a starter, and this kind of stuff is going to happen."
Game 1
Demianiuk didn't last long on the hill. After a scoreless first inning, the Panthers lit up the southpaw, scoring four runs on four hits. The Cheesemakers also committed two errors - a costly throw that allowed a run, and a missed fly ball in the outfield that led to two runs and a player getting left on third base.
"We had a lot of errors and played some poor defense," Christensen said.
Monroe had scored two runs in the bottom of the first. The Cheese loaded the bases on two hits and an error and two passed balls allowed both runs to score. There still were runners on first and third after a walk, but the next three hitters struck out.
"We should have had more runs throughout the game. We left some guys on third base," Christensen said.
After Monroe went down in order in the second, Lena-Winslow's Adam Blair led off the third inning with a solo home run to right field.
Christensen relieved Demianiuk for third baseman Cory Kundert, who escaped the inning with no further damage.
In the bottom of the third, Monroe plated two more runners. Scott Kline and Demianiuk both walked to start the inning, and moved to second and third on another passed ball. Taylor Weckerly hit into a fielder's choice that was thrown home, but all the runners were safe. Demianiuk scored the second run of the inning on other passed ball. Weckerly ended the inning stuck on third again.
Monroe took the lead in the sixth. Mike Rear singled before getting thrown out at second on a fielder's choice by Alex Dammen, and Mitch Marty was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up a base and scored on a single just over the head of the third baseman by Scott Kline, giving the Cheese makers a 6-5 lead.
Lena-Winslow tied the score in the fifth, and the two teams went into the seventh tied at 6.
The Panthers scored four in the seventh off three hits, three walks and a suicide squeeze. Monroe went down in the bottom half of the inning in order to end the game.
Blair pitched the complete game for Lena-Winslow, and went 3-for-4 at the plate with the homer and two doubles.
Game 2
Monroe's starting pitcher Jon Elmer had logged just a few innings this season, and was roughed up early Saturday.
Lena-Winslow scored seven runs in the first inning, forcing Christensen to go Marty in relief.
After the top of the first, a 20-minute rain delay cooled the heat, but not the Panthers.
Lena-Winslow scored another seven runs over the next two innings, taking a 14-2 lead.
Monroe lost first baseman Justin Rackow when a hard grounder down the first-base line took a hop off his glove and caromed directly into his left eye. The junior hunted down the ball just a few feet away, but after picking it up could not step on the bag for the out. He was helped off the field and relieved by Weckerly for the rest of the game.
The Cheesemakers scored four runs in the third inning. Weckerly walked to lead off the inning, Rear singled and both were driven in on Steve Knox's double.
Mike Wolf shellacked an RBI single to right field that the fielder misplayed, and Wolf dug his way around to third, then scored on a wild pitch.
Taylor Riese pitched a scoreless fourth for Monroe and Dammen did the same in the fifth. The Panthers scored two runs off Dammen in the sixth, but Monroe responded by scoring two more runs in the bottom half of the inning.
With the 10-run rule unable to end the game early, the Panthers capped their impressive day at the plate by scoring four more runs. The Cheesemakers could only make up one run in its last at-bat.
"I told the guys that this is not the way the game is supposed to be played," Christensen said.
Knox was 3-for-3 in the game with a pair of doubles, a walk and two runs. Rear was 2-for-5 with two runs, and Taylor Huffman was 2-for-3 with two doubles, a walk and a run.
"We had some guys hit the ball that I didn't expect to hit the ball, but we also had some guys not do anything out in the field. The game is more than swinging three times a game, and right now some of them don't understand that," Christensen said.
Blair went 4-for-6 in the second game with a double, and the Panthers finished with 17 hits in the second game and 39 on the day.
Monroe has the daunting task of playing Oregon on Tuesday.
"I hope we can get some better pitching this week," Christensen said. "Oregon is undefeated and one of the better teams in conference. We're going to have to try to find enough innings out of pitching for that one, and I don't know if we can. We're going to have to try to clean some things up on Monday, but if it rains again, it doesn't leave us with much to work on."
