Wisconsin Cheese King Henry Bishop, pictured here in June, threw seven strong innings Thursday in a Dairyland Collegiate League game at the Youth Sports Complex, but the Maunesha River Rats won 6-2, including a 3-run home run from Max Pederson in the ninth inning.
Wisconsin Cheese King Henry Bishop, pictured here in June, threw seven strong innings Thursday in a Dairyland Collegiate League game at the Youth Sports Complex, but the Maunesha River Rats won 6-2, including a 3-run home run from Max Pederson in the ninth inning.
JANESVILLE — Wisconsin Cheese Kings head coach Luke Schultz was hoping the teamÃÛèÖÊÓƵ recent 17-7 win against the Waukesha Foxes on Monday would act a bounce-back game, or as he put it a “get right gameâ€.
But MauneshaÃÛèÖÊÓƵ Max Pederson had different ideas.
PedersonÃÛèÖÊÓƵ late 3-run home run extended a slim lead to 6-2, which was the final score in the River Rats’ Dairyland Collegiate League victory Thursday afternoon at the Youth Sports Complex .
The Cheese Kings trailed 3-0 after seven innings but scored on a passed ball and on a fielderÃÛèÖÊÓƵ choice in the eighth inning to trail 3-2 after eight innings.
Henry Bishop got the start for the Cheese Kings and went seven innings. Bishop gave up four hits, three runs, two being earned runs and he also struck out two.
The River Rats score twice in the first inning and scored their next run in the seventh.
“Slow start by us,†Schultz said, “got a quality start out of Bishop. You know him going seven innings and only giving up three runs and us not putting anything on the board behind him is tough.â€
Logan Lenz, a left-handed pitcher from UW-Whitewater, took over for the top of the eighth. His outing started off strong, retiring the first three batters he saw with a mix of ground outs and a fly out.
The next inning is when he got into trouble. Lenz allowed the first two batters to reach, and proceeded to give up the home run to Pederson.
On his way back to the dugout, Pederson told his teammates thatÃÛèÖÊÓƵ something his hasn’t done in a while.
Prior to that, when the Cheese Kings scored their two runs in the seventh, Schultz said it acted as a spark and that they were feeling really good about themselves.
“The 3-run home run there was a dagger,†Schultz said. ‘But we have to strike first, we have to strike often.â€
In the bottom of the ninth, the Cheese Kings had a ground out, strike out and a fly out and a single mixed in.
After the game, Lenz asked Schultz what we could do to not give up the home run ball. Lenz came to the conclusion that he needs to mix in more pitches.
For the River Rats, recent Milton grad Trey Jones got the start. In five innings, Jones gave up just two hits and struck out five while walking four.
“He keeps you off balance, and our guys did not adjust. We kept trying to lift the ball and hit doubles in gaps and hit home runs. We just kept popping out.â€
With the two back-to-back losses, Wisconsin is 6-12. Up next is what Schultz described as a big doubleheader.
“We need a sweep,†he said.
The Cheese Kings host the Foxes on Saturday. The first game is slated for 1 p.m.
MAUNESHA 6, WISCONSIN 2
Maunesha 200 000 103 — 6 6 2
Wisconsin 000 00 200 — 2 4 0
Leading hitters—Snipes (W) 3x5, Bryant (M) 2x4. HR—Pederson (M).
