• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Cougars stage big comeback

Going into the seventh inning, Janesville Craig baseball coach Victor Herbst had his postgame speech ready.

“My postgame talk was going to be, ‘Fellas, you don’t win many games with one hit.’”

At the time, the Cougars had just one hit and were trailing host Madison Memorial, 5-0.

A few minutes later, Herbst’s speech changed.

Craig parlayed six hits, a walk and an error into a seven-run inning, which was enough to defeat the Spartans, 7-5.

“It was a great battle to come back,” Herbst said. “To be down, 5-0, and not fold up our tents shows a lot of character.”

Zach Whalen singled to center to start the remarkable inning. After a fly out, Austin Geller hit an infield single, and Tom McCulloch hit a pitch-hit single to load the bases.

Ben Olin walked to force in courtesy runner Cameron Graves for the Cougars’ first run.

Memorial changed pitchers, but it didn’t help.

Sophomore Jameson Henning, who was playing in his first varsity game, hit a two-strike breaking ball up the middle to drive in Geller.

Another out put Craig one out away from a loss. Senior Zach Bayreuther then got the biggest hit of the inning. On a full count, Bayreuther hit a liner over the center fielder’s head, which cleared the bases and tied the game.

Brett Fredricks got jammed on an inside pitch, but he dumped a single into left field, and Bayreuther scored the goal ahead run. Fredricks took second on the throw to the plate. Pinch-runner Cody Steed then scored an insurance run when Zach Whalen’s fly to right center was dropped.

Davis then allowed a leadoff single, but retired the next three batters to secure the win.

Craig (10-3 in the Big Eight, 13-3 overall) takes on league-leading Middleton at Riverside Park on Friday. Craig beat the Cardinals, 9-4, at Middleton earlier this season.

CRAIG 7, MEMORIAL 5

Craig (ab-r-h-rbi)—Bayreuther, ss, 3-1-1-3; B. Fredricks, p, 3-0-1-0; Davis, p, 1-0-1-1; Steed, cr, 0-1-0-0; Whalen, 3b, 4-0-1-0; Graves, pr, 0-1-0-0; Grall, 1b, 4-0-0-0; Geller, 2b, 3-1-1-0; Meyer, c, 2-0-0-0; McCulloch, ph, 1-0-1-0; Weber, pr, 0-1-0-0; Olin, lf, 2-1-0-1; Henning, rf, 3-1-1-1; Wright, cf, 3-0-0-0. Totals: 29-7-7-6.

Memorial (ab-r-h-rbi)—Fruhling, lf, 2-1-1-0; Schumann, ph, 1-0-0-0; Luciani, ss, 3-0-2-1; P.Ritchie, 1b, 2-2-1-0; Behrend, dh, 4-0-1-0; Pokrieske, 2b, 0-0-0-0; Wise, c, 4-0-0-0; Schneider, rf, 2-0-0-0; Curtain, cf, 3-1-2-0; Lutz, 3b, 2-0-0-0; D. Ritchie, ph, 1-1-1-1; Eichorst, p, 2-0-0-0; Schiro, ph, 1-0-0-0. Totals: 27-5-8-3.

Craig 000 000 7—7

Memorial 210 011 0—5

E—Craig 3, Memorial 2. LOB—Craig 3, Memorial 6. 2B—Bayreuther, Fruling, P. Ritchie. HR—D. Ritchie. SB—Fruhling. Sac—Schneider.

IP H R ER BB SO

Craig

B. Fredricks 5 5 4 2 3 1

Davis (W) 2 3 1 1 0 1

Memorial

Eichorst 6.1 4 4 4 2 6

Behrend .2 3 3 2 0 1