MONROE - Right after Monroe junior Chase Hellenbrand led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a single, a flash of lightning appeared.
Hellenbrand and the Cheesemakers were trying to rally against Madison West, but after a short delay, the game was called and the Cheesemakers lost a lightning- and rain-shortened game 3-1 to the Regents Monday.
"I feel like we had something going," said Monroe's Carter Adkins, who had an RBI double to center in the fifth inning. "I feel like we could have rallied. We got the bats going. We were all pretty mad it was canceled."
Madison West pitcher Rock Cates carried a no-hitter into the fifth. Monroe sophomore Brent Edmunds crushed a double to left center to break up the no-hitter. One batter later, Adkins smoked an RBI double to center to cut the Regents' lead to 3-1.
"We came out kind of flat with the bats," Monroe coach Dustin Huffman said. "We were kind of lethargic after the weekend. You always feel like you can come back, especially when you are down just two runs. It's unfortunate. You can't take anything away from Cates. He threw strikes and pitched to contact."
With the loss, Monroe drops to 2-12, 1-7 Badger South. Adkins said part of the reason the Cheesemakers had so much success hitting the third time through the order is Cates was leaving the ball up in the zone.
Monroe junior Logan Weckerly pitched six innings and gave up three runs on 11 hits. He struck out four, walked two and intentionally walked one. Weckerly pitched out of three bases-loaded jams in the first, fifth and sixth innings. In the first, he got Madison West's Tony Osterburg to ground into a fielder's choice to end the inning. In the fifth, Weckerly got out of a bases-loaded one-out jam by getting Osterburg to pop out and getting Austin Cothern to ground out to junior second baseman Desmond Ford. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth by striking out Cam Porter and getting Osterburg to ground into a fielder's choice to end the threat. The Regents were 5-for-14 hitting with runners in scoring position and left 12 runners stranded.
"Logan did a nice job of working out of jams," Huffman said. "Logan always battles and puts us in a position to win. He avoided the big inning."
Madison West's Keenan Woltmann went 2-for-3 with one RBI and Aubrey Johnson and Cothern were 2-for-3. Cates went 2-for-4 with one RBI and Porter finished 2-for-4.
Monroe will host Portage, which is unbeaten in the Badger North, today. The last time the Cheesemakers played Portage, they lost 7-2, but six of the runs were unearned.
"We have to come out with more energy and enthusiasm," Huffman said. "We have to go out and look to hit the ball hard and make things happen."
Adkins is confident the Cheesemakers can compete with Portage.
"The last time we played them we killed ourselves by kicking the ball around," he said. "We are playing better baseball now. I think we can compete with them and get a win."
If Monroe can knock off Portage and get on a late-season winning streak, Huffman said it could mean the Cheesemakers could host a first-round regional game in June.
"Looking ahead to our regional, Edgerton and Beloit Turner are fighting to be the No. 1 seed," Huffman said. "With the No. 3-6 teams, it's kind of a coin flip. If we can get some wins, we might get to host a first-round regional game. You have to play it pitch by pitch and inning by inning. We have to build up to play good baseball one inning at a time."
Hellenbrand and the Cheesemakers were trying to rally against Madison West, but after a short delay, the game was called and the Cheesemakers lost a lightning- and rain-shortened game 3-1 to the Regents Monday.
"I feel like we had something going," said Monroe's Carter Adkins, who had an RBI double to center in the fifth inning. "I feel like we could have rallied. We got the bats going. We were all pretty mad it was canceled."
Madison West pitcher Rock Cates carried a no-hitter into the fifth. Monroe sophomore Brent Edmunds crushed a double to left center to break up the no-hitter. One batter later, Adkins smoked an RBI double to center to cut the Regents' lead to 3-1.
"We came out kind of flat with the bats," Monroe coach Dustin Huffman said. "We were kind of lethargic after the weekend. You always feel like you can come back, especially when you are down just two runs. It's unfortunate. You can't take anything away from Cates. He threw strikes and pitched to contact."
With the loss, Monroe drops to 2-12, 1-7 Badger South. Adkins said part of the reason the Cheesemakers had so much success hitting the third time through the order is Cates was leaving the ball up in the zone.
Monroe junior Logan Weckerly pitched six innings and gave up three runs on 11 hits. He struck out four, walked two and intentionally walked one. Weckerly pitched out of three bases-loaded jams in the first, fifth and sixth innings. In the first, he got Madison West's Tony Osterburg to ground into a fielder's choice to end the inning. In the fifth, Weckerly got out of a bases-loaded one-out jam by getting Osterburg to pop out and getting Austin Cothern to ground out to junior second baseman Desmond Ford. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth by striking out Cam Porter and getting Osterburg to ground into a fielder's choice to end the threat. The Regents were 5-for-14 hitting with runners in scoring position and left 12 runners stranded.
"Logan did a nice job of working out of jams," Huffman said. "Logan always battles and puts us in a position to win. He avoided the big inning."
Madison West's Keenan Woltmann went 2-for-3 with one RBI and Aubrey Johnson and Cothern were 2-for-3. Cates went 2-for-4 with one RBI and Porter finished 2-for-4.
Monroe will host Portage, which is unbeaten in the Badger North, today. The last time the Cheesemakers played Portage, they lost 7-2, but six of the runs were unearned.
"We have to come out with more energy and enthusiasm," Huffman said. "We have to go out and look to hit the ball hard and make things happen."
Adkins is confident the Cheesemakers can compete with Portage.
"The last time we played them we killed ourselves by kicking the ball around," he said. "We are playing better baseball now. I think we can compete with them and get a win."
If Monroe can knock off Portage and get on a late-season winning streak, Huffman said it could mean the Cheesemakers could host a first-round regional game in June.
"Looking ahead to our regional, Edgerton and Beloit Turner are fighting to be the No. 1 seed," Huffman said. "With the No. 3-6 teams, it's kind of a coin flip. If we can get some wins, we might get to host a first-round regional game. You have to play it pitch by pitch and inning by inning. We have to build up to play good baseball one inning at a time."
