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Middleton lets Craig have it

JANESVILLE — Payback.

In one word, that’s what Middleton High’s baseball team dished out in a dominating 10-1 win over Janesville Craig here Friday in a key Big Eight Conference game at Riverside Park.

Sloppy.

In one word, that’s how Craig played, committing four errors, walking four batters and hitting two.

That effort left the Cougars unable to duplicate the 9-4 win they authored at Middleton in the teams’ first meeting, which remains the Cardinals’ only Big Eight loss this season.

“I thought we needed to come out and play much tougher physically and mentally,” Craig coach Victor Herbst said. “They’re way too good of a team to allow them to get extra bases or give up a free base, boot a ball, that sort of thing.

“You can’t do that against these guys. They’re going to take advantage of it, and they did.”

With a chance to get within one game of first-place Middleton in the Big Eight race, Craig instead finds itself three games back with four to play. The Cardinals improved to 13-1 in the Big Eight (13-4 overall), while the Cougars dropped to 10-4 in the conference (13-4-1 overall).

As sloppy as Craig played, the Cougars’ loss could be more attributed to the dominance of Middleton starting pitcher Shane Adler than their own mistakes.

The junior right-hander—whose fastball tops out in the mid-80s, according to Middleton coach Tom Schmitt—entered Friday’s game with a 4-0 record and a 0.89 ERA.

He was brutal on Craig’s hitters with a well-located fastball and a biting curve that he kept down and in the strike zone. In six scoreless innings,

Adler allowed two singles and struck out seven.

“His hook looked good, and when he spots his fastball where he wants it, he’s a pretty tough pitcher to face,” said Schmitt.

Craig starter Cody Steed (2-3), meanwhile, cruised into the third inning, but that’s when he walked the bases loaded with one out. Middleton’s Derek Layton drove in a run with a fielder’s choice grounder, and another came on an error as the Cougars attempt to complete a double play.

A misplayed single helped another run score, and the Cardinals completed the five-run inning when Romie Ripp crushed a two-run homer to left-center.

Zach Bayreuther, Ben Olin and Tom McCulloch had the Cougars’ three hits, while Jameson Henning drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Craig returns to action Tuesday at Riverside against Janesville Parker.

“The best thing about our baseball season is that we don’t get a lot of days off,” Herbst said. “We’ll be ready to play.”

MIDDLETON 10, CRAIG 1

Middleton (ab-r-h-bi)—Braga, 3b, 3-1-0-0; Novinski, 2b, 3-1-1-0; Layton, cf, 3-3-1-3; Murphy, cf, 0-0-0-0; Adler, p, 4-2-3-2; Ripp, lf, 3-1-2-2; Mathias, 1b, 3-0-0-0; N. Drunasky, 1b, 1-0-0-0; K. Drunasky, c, 3-0-1-0; Tiedt, pr, 0-0-0-0; Chardon, c, 1-0-0-0; Martin, rf, 2-2-1-0; Zimmerman, rf, 1-0-0-0; Lachner, dh, 2-0-0-1; Gowan, ss, 0-0-0-0; Larson, p, 0-0-0-0. Totals: 29-10-9-8.

Craig (ab-r-h-bi)—Bayreuther, ss, 3-0-1-0; Geller, 2b, 2-0-0-0; Mussey, rf, 1-0-0-0; Whalen, 3b, 1-0-0-0; Grall, 1b, 2-0-0-0; Meyer, c, 2-0-0-0; Weber, ph, 1-0-0-0; Olin, lf, 3-0-1-0; McCulloch, dh, 3-1-1-0; Wright, cf, 0-0-0-0; Henning, rf-2b, 2-0-0-1; Steed, p, 2-0-0-0; Davis, p, 1-0-0-0. Totals: 23-1-3-1.

Middleton 005 110 3—10

Janesville Craig 000 000 1—1

E—Middleton 1, Craig 4. LOB—Middleton 4, Craig 5. 2B—Martin. HR—Ripp, Layton, Adler. SB—Martin, Layton, Ripp, Novinski. SF—Henning.

Middleton IP H R ER BB SO

Adler (W) 6 2 0 0 3 7

Larson 1 1 1 1 0 1

Janesville Craig

Steed (L) 6 5 7 5 4 1

Davis 1 4 3 3 0 1