BELOIT - Finding the strike zone can be hard if a pitcher can't find a good landing spot for his front foot. Unfortunately for the Cheesemakers, starting pitcher Kris Rieder had that exact problem Tuesday.
"I never found the same landing spot twice," said Rieder, a senior, after Monroe's 7-2 loss to Beloit Turner in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal. "I couldn't find the strike zone. I was leaving everything up. It felt like I was throwing up a hill."
Rieder walked five, hit three, allowed two hits and five runs, all earned, in just three-plus innings of work.
"It was all about throwing strikes," Monroe head coach Dustin Huffman said. "The mound was a little difficult to get used to, but that's not an excuse. We saw how they threw on it. Their pitcher was just on and was the best pitcher we've seen all year."
A.J. Bernstein pitched all seven innings for Turner (17-5), striking out 12 and walking just three.
Monroe (12-11) used three pitchers in the game including, junior Logan Wells who pitched the fourth and fifth and Mitch Marty who pitched the bottom of the sixth. Turner had just six hits but walked six times, had four hit batters and 17 total baserunners.
"It was rough. We just didn't have the right stuff to pull out a win," senior Taylor Riese said, who was 0-for-3 in the five-hole. "Beloit Turner is a good team. That pitcher (Bernstein) threw lights-out the entire game."
Monroe's luck changed in the third inning. After finding a way to get out of baserunning jams in the first two innings, Rieder lost his control and his composure after a missed pick-off call at first base.
"It's usually the little things that get to me, and that's just what happened," Rieder said.
With bases loaded after two walks and a hit batter, Marty, playing catcher, threw down to first base behind the runner. First baseman Kramer Henning caught the ball and tagged the runner in front of the bag, but the field umpire, standing near second base, called the runner safe.
Rieder then threw the next nine pitches for balls, walking one and hitting another batter, bringing in two runs. A wild pitch allowed a third run to score and Turner led, 3-0.
In the top of the fourth, Dylan Schwitz broke up a Bernstein no-hitter with a single up the middle. It was one of two Monroe hits in the game - Marty had the other in the sixth inning. Drew Nafzger then walked and Marty moved the runners up on a ground out. With two outs, Schwitz scored on a wild pitch. Moments later, Riese swung and missed on a strike-three call, but the catcher dropped the ball and threw high to first trying to retire Riese, allowing Nafzger to score and making it 3-2.
Turner continued to lay off pitches in the fourth. Rieder walked and hit the first two batters he faced, and Huffman put Wells on the hill. Wells walked the first hitter he faced and allowed a two-RBI double to Aaron Jones, making it 5-2. Another wild pitch made it 6-2 before the inning ended. Turner plated its final run in the bottom of the fifth.
"They got a couple guys on base and all of a sudden got a couple of clutch hits and boom, we're behind and trying to catch back up," Huffman said.
Monroe ends the season with 12 wins, the most since 2006, and a winning record.
"Finishing 12-11, a winning record. That's what I'll remember most about my senior season," Rieder said.
Huffman, in his first year at the varsity helm, knows the seniors he lost were highly valued and that next year's seniors will have to step up.
"It's tough to see them leave. They set the foundation and we can build off of those guys. They were a good group of kids and were willing to listen. To see them improve from their freshman year and to see what they became was a treat," Huffman said.
"They'll be the leaders by all means. We've got five or six guys that got a lot of experience this year. But we talked about how they need to become leaders by getting out this summer, getting to voluntary open gyms in the fall and the winter."
"I never found the same landing spot twice," said Rieder, a senior, after Monroe's 7-2 loss to Beloit Turner in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal. "I couldn't find the strike zone. I was leaving everything up. It felt like I was throwing up a hill."
Rieder walked five, hit three, allowed two hits and five runs, all earned, in just three-plus innings of work.
"It was all about throwing strikes," Monroe head coach Dustin Huffman said. "The mound was a little difficult to get used to, but that's not an excuse. We saw how they threw on it. Their pitcher was just on and was the best pitcher we've seen all year."
A.J. Bernstein pitched all seven innings for Turner (17-5), striking out 12 and walking just three.
Monroe (12-11) used three pitchers in the game including, junior Logan Wells who pitched the fourth and fifth and Mitch Marty who pitched the bottom of the sixth. Turner had just six hits but walked six times, had four hit batters and 17 total baserunners.
"It was rough. We just didn't have the right stuff to pull out a win," senior Taylor Riese said, who was 0-for-3 in the five-hole. "Beloit Turner is a good team. That pitcher (Bernstein) threw lights-out the entire game."
Monroe's luck changed in the third inning. After finding a way to get out of baserunning jams in the first two innings, Rieder lost his control and his composure after a missed pick-off call at first base.
"It's usually the little things that get to me, and that's just what happened," Rieder said.
With bases loaded after two walks and a hit batter, Marty, playing catcher, threw down to first base behind the runner. First baseman Kramer Henning caught the ball and tagged the runner in front of the bag, but the field umpire, standing near second base, called the runner safe.
Rieder then threw the next nine pitches for balls, walking one and hitting another batter, bringing in two runs. A wild pitch allowed a third run to score and Turner led, 3-0.
In the top of the fourth, Dylan Schwitz broke up a Bernstein no-hitter with a single up the middle. It was one of two Monroe hits in the game - Marty had the other in the sixth inning. Drew Nafzger then walked and Marty moved the runners up on a ground out. With two outs, Schwitz scored on a wild pitch. Moments later, Riese swung and missed on a strike-three call, but the catcher dropped the ball and threw high to first trying to retire Riese, allowing Nafzger to score and making it 3-2.
Turner continued to lay off pitches in the fourth. Rieder walked and hit the first two batters he faced, and Huffman put Wells on the hill. Wells walked the first hitter he faced and allowed a two-RBI double to Aaron Jones, making it 5-2. Another wild pitch made it 6-2 before the inning ended. Turner plated its final run in the bottom of the fifth.
"They got a couple guys on base and all of a sudden got a couple of clutch hits and boom, we're behind and trying to catch back up," Huffman said.
Monroe ends the season with 12 wins, the most since 2006, and a winning record.
"Finishing 12-11, a winning record. That's what I'll remember most about my senior season," Rieder said.
Huffman, in his first year at the varsity helm, knows the seniors he lost were highly valued and that next year's seniors will have to step up.
"It's tough to see them leave. They set the foundation and we can build off of those guys. They were a good group of kids and were willing to listen. To see them improve from their freshman year and to see what they became was a treat," Huffman said.
"They'll be the leaders by all means. We've got five or six guys that got a lot of experience this year. But we talked about how they need to become leaders by getting out this summer, getting to voluntary open gyms in the fall and the winter."
