MONROE - The Chicago White Sox marketing slogan several years ago, "These Kids Can Play" was nearly revived by the Monroe Senior Legion baseball team Wednesday night.
Monroe stormed back from a 10-1 deficit to Lena before a racous thunderstorm rolled in.
Monroe rallied with a five-run fourth inning, highlighted by Drew Geisbuhler's RBI single and a two-run single by Taylor Riese, to cut Lena's lead to 10-6. The thunderstorm erupted before the top of the fifth, which forced the cancellation of the game.
"That is an All-Star team down there," Monroe coach Bruce Rear said. "I wished we could have finished that game. It was just starting to get interesting."
Rear said the game would not be made up. The schedule is stacked with a full slate of eight games over the next two weeks leading up to the Senior Legion regional tournament July 18-20 at Beloit. Monroe is scheduled to play its' last game before the tournament July 16 at Lena, but Rear is opposed to playing more than one game.
"I'm not going to play more than that because we want to have all our pitchers for the tournament," Rear said.
Monroe (4-8-1, 3-6 Senior Legion) started its comeback in the fourth when Kyle Klopfenstein led off with a single. Cory Kundert then reached on an error, which scored a run. Mike Demianiuk walked to load the bases. Geisbuhler, who was 2-for-2 at the plate, lined an RBI single to left to cut Lena's lead to 10-3. Monroe fully grabbed the momentum when Riese ripped a two-out, two-run single to left.
"Taylor Riese and Drew Geisbuhler hit those balls hard," Rear said. "They were not flukes.
"Sometimes you get a lead like that and you relax a little bit. We stayed in the game. I was proud of the kids."
Riese said he was just thinking about poking one out to get the run in from third and force Lena to make a play.
Early on, it looked like Lena would make short work of Monroe. Lena scored three unearned runs off Monroe starter Kris Reider in the second. Monroe made two of its three errors in the frame.
Lena chased Reider in a six-run fourth, which saw them bat around the order. In 3 1/3 innings, Reider gave up 10 runs (five earned) on 10 hits, while walking four, hitting one and striking out three.
"Kris probably deserved better," Rear said. "I thought his fastball had good pop on it."
Lena was led by Joey Harrington, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Monroe stormed back from a 10-1 deficit to Lena before a racous thunderstorm rolled in.
Monroe rallied with a five-run fourth inning, highlighted by Drew Geisbuhler's RBI single and a two-run single by Taylor Riese, to cut Lena's lead to 10-6. The thunderstorm erupted before the top of the fifth, which forced the cancellation of the game.
"That is an All-Star team down there," Monroe coach Bruce Rear said. "I wished we could have finished that game. It was just starting to get interesting."
Rear said the game would not be made up. The schedule is stacked with a full slate of eight games over the next two weeks leading up to the Senior Legion regional tournament July 18-20 at Beloit. Monroe is scheduled to play its' last game before the tournament July 16 at Lena, but Rear is opposed to playing more than one game.
"I'm not going to play more than that because we want to have all our pitchers for the tournament," Rear said.
Monroe (4-8-1, 3-6 Senior Legion) started its comeback in the fourth when Kyle Klopfenstein led off with a single. Cory Kundert then reached on an error, which scored a run. Mike Demianiuk walked to load the bases. Geisbuhler, who was 2-for-2 at the plate, lined an RBI single to left to cut Lena's lead to 10-3. Monroe fully grabbed the momentum when Riese ripped a two-out, two-run single to left.
"Taylor Riese and Drew Geisbuhler hit those balls hard," Rear said. "They were not flukes.
"Sometimes you get a lead like that and you relax a little bit. We stayed in the game. I was proud of the kids."
Riese said he was just thinking about poking one out to get the run in from third and force Lena to make a play.
Early on, it looked like Lena would make short work of Monroe. Lena scored three unearned runs off Monroe starter Kris Reider in the second. Monroe made two of its three errors in the frame.
Lena chased Reider in a six-run fourth, which saw them bat around the order. In 3 1/3 innings, Reider gave up 10 runs (five earned) on 10 hits, while walking four, hitting one and striking out three.
"Kris probably deserved better," Rear said. "I thought his fastball had good pop on it."
Lena was led by Joey Harrington, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI.
