Koeller's heroics lift Middleton past Verona
It’s rare when your No. 2 catcher is also one of your two team captains.
Then again, Brad Koeller isn't your typical reserve.
“He's earned the right to be one of our captains,” Middleton baseball Brent Jorgensen said of Koeller. “He brings energy, positivity, toughness, and all the other characteristics you'd want out of a leader on your team.”
Those qualities were in clear view on May 14.
Koeller — thrust into the lineup following an injury to standout catcher Tyler Vogt — delivered one of the biggest hits of Middleton’s season. Koeller ripped a base hit to right field scoring freshman Teddy Kalscheur with two outs in the 12th inning to propel the Cardinals to a 5-4 win over Verona in a marathon affair that lasted 3 ½ hours.
Middleton rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the sixth inning and notched one of the most important wins of its season. The Cardinals had gone a combined 0-3 against Big Eight Conference heavyweights Sun Prairie East and Verona in the past two weeks, and needed a victory to gain some confidence against one of the league’s elite squads.
Middleton, which followed that contest with a 10-0 win over Madison LaFollette on May 16, is now 13-7 overall and tied for fourth place in the Big Eight at 9-5 with two weeks left. Madison Memorial and Verona share the top spot in the conference with 11-3 marks, while Sun Prairie East is in third place at 10-4.
East and Memorial still play twice in the final week of the season, though, and Verona has challenging games with Janesville Parker and Madison West. That means Middleton could still be a factor in race for conference supremacy.
Either way, snapping a recent losing streak against one of the Big Eight’s best was a welcome relief.
“It's been a long two weeks for our guys from a physical and emotional perspective,” Jorgensen said. “On top of that, Verona has found ways to beat us in close games for the last three years. So it felt like our backs were against the wall, and we needed to fight our way out of it.”
Middleton did just that by holding Verona scoreless the final seven innings, while also scoring a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to force extra innings. Finally, after putting runners on in three of the first four extra innings, the Cardinals plated the game-winner in the 12th.
Kalscheur, who kept the game alive with a key at-bat in the seventh, began the 12th inning with a single to right field, then moved to second on a wild pitch. Verona’s Wes Willenburg rebounded to record consecutive strikeouts, then Chase Rogers drew a two-out walk.
That brought up Koeller, one of the hardest workers in the program who was starting against the Wildcats after Vogt suffered a bruised pelvis five days earlier. Koeller was just 1-for-6 on the day, but had hit the ball hard throughout with a pair of deep fly balls to center and a long fly ball out to right.
This time, though, Koeller was rewarded for another stellar plate appearance.
On a night where the sun had vanished 30 minutes earlier and the game was now being played under the lights, Koeller worked the count full against Willenburg. Koeller then ripped a shot to right, and Kalscheur raced home ahead of the throw from right fielder Jaxon Wepking to give Middleton the dramatic win.
“Brad has been hitting the ball very well throughout the last two weeks in practice, had some really good at-bats in our last few games, and we felt confident about moving him up to the No. 2 spot in our lineup,” Jorgensen said of Koeller. “Seeing Brad continue to hit the ball hard throughout the game and come up with the game-winning hit was rewarding on multiple levels and also a great message to the rest of our team to stay consistent with their work ethic and approach to the game. The game is demanding and challenging, but rewards come to those who work their butt off and stay after it.”
That mantra was apropos for Middleton’s entire team on this night.
The Cardinals committed six errors, fell behind 3-0 after three innings and still trailed 4-1 heading to the bottom of the sixth.
“We certainly didn't have a clean start to the game,” Jorgensen said.
The finish was much better, though.
Second baseman Tristano Feyrer had an RBI single to center to score right fielder August Faessler in the sixth and pull the Cardinals within 4-2. Middleton then mounted one of its biggest rallies of the year in the seventh to pull even.
With one out, Jackson Guerrero and Joey Passaglia had consecutive singles. Guerrero raced to third on Passaglia’s hit, then with two outs, Passaglia stole second.
Verona opted to intentionally to walk third baseman Bryce Esser to load the bases. Jorgensen then called on Kalscheur to pinch hit in one of the biggest moments of the game.
Kalscheur, a promising freshman who began the year on the JV2 Red team, but has been climbing the ranks ever since, then ripped a hard smash at third baseman Ben Erdman. The ball went under Erdman’s glove and through his legs for an error, allowing both Guerrero and Passaglia to race home and tie the game, 4-4.
While Kalscheur’s at-bat was technically scored an error, it was a clutch performance by a varsity newcomer with the game on the line.
“Teddy gave us a heck of a boost off the bench,” Jorgensen said. “He stepped up and competed his heart out by making some plays in the outfield and hitting two balls hard in his three at-bats. He has a bright future in our program.”
Middleton’s pitching, which was uneven early, also settled in, which helped the Cardinals stay in the game.
Brody Kalscheur allowed just one earned run in five innings. Guerrero threw the seventh and eighth innings and struck out four while allowing no runs and just one hit.
And eventual winning pitcher Carter Gebhard was brilliant while working the final four innings. Gebhard didn't allow a run, gave up just two hits, struck out three, walked three and worked out of three different innings where Verona put runners in scoring position.
“Our pitchers didn't budge in tight situations,” Jorgensen said. “That's been a huge point of emphasis the last three weeks because we've struggled to minimize the number of runs we give up when things don't go according to plan.
“All of our pitchers, but especially Carter Gebhard, worked out of tight situations throughout the game and found ways to get the job done by either giving up a limited number of runs or just not giving up any runs at all. They had great confidence and demeanor on the mound, and it made the difference in the game.”
Verona’s Erdman led off the 12th with a walk. Then after a fly ball out and a fielder’s choice, Koeller gunned down Willenberg trying to steal second base.
Koeller then turned around in the bottom of the 12th and played hero with the game-winning hit, giving Middleton one of its biggest wins of the year.
“Our guys really showed some heart by not giving in and not backing down,” Jorgensen said. “I was very happy to see the way they competed and bounced back from things that didn't go their way throughout the game. It's been a huge point of emphasis, and they rose up to meet the occasion.”
• Verona 5, Middleton 1 — The host Cardinals managed just four hits and fell to the Wildcats on May 12.
Middleton second baseman Tristano Feyrer had two of the Cardinals’ four hits, including a double, and scored a run.
MHS starter Joey Passaglia allowed three earned runs (four total) in four innings and took the loss.
• Middleton 10, Madison La Follette 0 — Joey Passaglia and two relievers combined on a four-hit shutout as the Cardinals rolled past the Lancers on May 16.
Passaglia threw four innings and allowed just one hit and no runs in picking up the win. Passaglia struck out five and walked two.
Zach Daniels threw a scoreless fifth and Blake Flynn worked the final two innings.
Middleton led, 1-0, in the top of the third, then erupted for six runs to break the game open.
The Cardinals loaded the bases to begin the third, then Jackson Guerrero drew a walk that scored Eytan D’Onofrio to make it 2-0. Passaglia followed with a two run single that scored both Tristano Feyrer and Chase Rogers to make it 4-0.
Bryce Esser then doubled to left to score Guerrero and make it 5-0, then a Teddy Kalscheur base hit plated August Faessler. Madden Cleary followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Esser to make it 7-0.
Passaglia finished his big day going 2-for-3 with three RBIs, while Kalscheur went 2-for-2 with two RBIs. Guerrero had two RBIs and scored a run, while Faessler had an RBI and scored two runs.
Esser had a double, an RBI and scored a run, while Brad Koeller and D’Onofrio also had doubles.
• On deck: Middleton was at Janesville Craig Tuesday, then hosts the Cougars Thursday at 5 p.m. The Cardinals then host Janesville Parker on May 26 and finishes the regular season with a trip to Parker on May 29 at 5 p.m.
May 16
Middleton 10, Madison La Follette 0
Middleton …. 016 101 1 — 10 8 1
MLF ……. 000 000 0 — 0 4 5
Middleton pitchers (ip-h-r-er-so-bb) — M: Joey Passaglia (W: 4-1-0-0-5-2), Zach Daniels (1-1-0-0-1-0), Blake Flynn (2-2-0-0-4-1).
Middleton leading hitters — Joey Pasaglia 2x3, Teddy Kalscheur 2x2. 2B — Brad Koeller, Bryce Esser, Eytan D’Onofrio.
May 14
Middleton 5, Verona 4 (12)
Verona ……. 201 010 000 000 — 4 8 2
Middleton …. 000 101 200 001 — 5 13 6
Pitchers (ip-h-r-er-so-bb) — V: Caden Martin (6-7-2-2-3-1), Ben Yoss (4-4-2-2-5-2), Wes Willenberg (L: 1.2-3-1-1-4-1). M: Zach Daniels (1-2-2-1-0-0), Brody Kalscheur (5-3-2-1-1-2), Jackson Guerrero (2-1-0-0-4-2), Carter Gebhard (W: 4-2-0-0-3-3).
Leading hitters — V: Grady Miller 2x5 (2B), Will Scharenbroch 2x6, Jaxon Wepking (HR), Ben Yoss (2B), Oliver Heckelsmiller (2B). M: Jackson Guerrero 3x5, Joey Passaglia 2x5, Brad Koeller 2x7, Eytan D’Onofrio (2B).
May 12
Verona 5, Middleton 1
Middleton …. 001 000 0 — 1 4 3
Verona ……. 012 101 x — 5 13 1
Pitchers (ip-h-r-er-so-bb) — M: Joey Passaglia (W: 4-10-4-3-5-1), Carter Gebhard (1.1-3-1-0-0-1), Zach Daniels (0.2-0-0-0-0-0). V: Landon Lassahn (7-4-1-1-11-1).
Leading hitters — M: Tristano Feyrer (2B). V: Jaxon Wepking 3x4 (2B), Peyton DiMaggio 2x4, Will Scharenbroch 2x4, Ben DeTienne 2x3, Ben Erdman 2x2 (2B)
