MONROE- The Monroe Brewers are still mathematically alive for the playoffs after the last weekend of the Home Talent League regular season. And they needed some help.
The jockeying for the seventh and eighth playoff spots in a jumbled Western Section has come down to the wire after the Brewers picked up a 6-2 win over Argyle on Sunday. The Brewers (6-10) were led by co-player manager Lon Scheuerell, who was 2-for-4 and drove in three runs, to force a three-way tie with New Glarus and Dodgeville.
"We shouldn't be in this situation," Scheuerell said. "You look back at the season and some of those losses. If we would have played better midseason, we wouldn't be in this position."
The Brewers are still on the playoff bubble after Argyle (10-6) defeated Blanchardville 11-4 in the nightcap of the Beavers' doubleheader on Sunday.
"Big" Ben Wallace hit a grand slam in the eighth inning that gave Argyle a 7-4 lead.
"Our job was to play spoiler for one of them," Argyle player-manager Travis Erickson said.
The Brewers overcame a nine-game losing streak and are on the brink of the playoffs after winning three straight games. Now the Brewers must wait and become Richland Center Royals fans. Blanchardville (5-10) can force a four-way tie for the final three playoff spots by beating the last place Royals at home Wednesday.
On Sunday, Scheuerell put the Brewers on the board in the first inning with a two-run single up the middle off Wallace.
The Brewers extended their lead in the second. Justin Hahn bunted for a single. He stole second and moved to third when a throw rolled into right. Shawn Dascher and Adam Siegenthaler delivered back-to-back two-out, RBI-singles to give the Brewers a 4-1 lead.
That's all the run support Hahn needed in pitching a complete game. Hahn gave up two unearned runs and scattered seven hits. He struck out four, walked two and hit one.
"We had to win three of our last four," Hahn said. "My job as a pitcher is to keep us close."
The Beavers, who were battling the Hollandale Rockies for the No. 2 seed, received a big performance from Justin Crotty and Jarett Bauman, who were both 2-for-4.
The Rockies (10-5) swept both games with the Beavers this year.
"I think to us, the No. 2 seed was not important," Erickson said. "We are not worried about Hollandale or Verona."
Erickson said the focus was locking up a top-four seed to assure a home game in the first round of the playoffs that begin Sunday, Aug. 3.
Erickson was perplexed by the sluggish loss to the Brewers.
"We didn't come to play at all today," Erickson said. "This is by far the worst we have looked all season."
The Brewers first kept their postseason hopes alive with a 6-5 comeback win over Wiota on Saturday. Adam Scherer's suicide squeeze in the eighth scored the game-winning run.
The Brewers came back from a 4-1 deficit. Scheuerell came through with a clutch game-tying, two-run single in the eighth. The Brewers were led by Brett Mulhall who was 3-for-3 and Rooney Janecke who went 3-for-4.
"The last few games it seems like we have had really good pitching," Sheuerell said. "The defense has really been playing a lot better. We haven't been giving teams four or five outs. It just seems like we are getting the hits with two outs more. Timely hitting has really helped us a lot."
The jockeying for the seventh and eighth playoff spots in a jumbled Western Section has come down to the wire after the Brewers picked up a 6-2 win over Argyle on Sunday. The Brewers (6-10) were led by co-player manager Lon Scheuerell, who was 2-for-4 and drove in three runs, to force a three-way tie with New Glarus and Dodgeville.
"We shouldn't be in this situation," Scheuerell said. "You look back at the season and some of those losses. If we would have played better midseason, we wouldn't be in this position."
The Brewers are still on the playoff bubble after Argyle (10-6) defeated Blanchardville 11-4 in the nightcap of the Beavers' doubleheader on Sunday.
"Big" Ben Wallace hit a grand slam in the eighth inning that gave Argyle a 7-4 lead.
"Our job was to play spoiler for one of them," Argyle player-manager Travis Erickson said.
The Brewers overcame a nine-game losing streak and are on the brink of the playoffs after winning three straight games. Now the Brewers must wait and become Richland Center Royals fans. Blanchardville (5-10) can force a four-way tie for the final three playoff spots by beating the last place Royals at home Wednesday.
On Sunday, Scheuerell put the Brewers on the board in the first inning with a two-run single up the middle off Wallace.
The Brewers extended their lead in the second. Justin Hahn bunted for a single. He stole second and moved to third when a throw rolled into right. Shawn Dascher and Adam Siegenthaler delivered back-to-back two-out, RBI-singles to give the Brewers a 4-1 lead.
That's all the run support Hahn needed in pitching a complete game. Hahn gave up two unearned runs and scattered seven hits. He struck out four, walked two and hit one.
"We had to win three of our last four," Hahn said. "My job as a pitcher is to keep us close."
The Beavers, who were battling the Hollandale Rockies for the No. 2 seed, received a big performance from Justin Crotty and Jarett Bauman, who were both 2-for-4.
The Rockies (10-5) swept both games with the Beavers this year.
"I think to us, the No. 2 seed was not important," Erickson said. "We are not worried about Hollandale or Verona."
Erickson said the focus was locking up a top-four seed to assure a home game in the first round of the playoffs that begin Sunday, Aug. 3.
Erickson was perplexed by the sluggish loss to the Brewers.
"We didn't come to play at all today," Erickson said. "This is by far the worst we have looked all season."
The Brewers first kept their postseason hopes alive with a 6-5 comeback win over Wiota on Saturday. Adam Scherer's suicide squeeze in the eighth scored the game-winning run.
The Brewers came back from a 4-1 deficit. Scheuerell came through with a clutch game-tying, two-run single in the eighth. The Brewers were led by Brett Mulhall who was 3-for-3 and Rooney Janecke who went 3-for-4.
"The last few games it seems like we have had really good pitching," Sheuerell said. "The defense has really been playing a lot better. We haven't been giving teams four or five outs. It just seems like we are getting the hits with two outs more. Timely hitting has really helped us a lot."
