Monona Braves Home Talent

GAME DAY!

See ya Sunday!

⚾ The Crawdads hit the road Sunday.

🆚 Monona Braves
📍 Ahuska Park
🕒 1:00 PM

Monona WINS 16-2
vs Poynette in 7 innings

GAME DAY! ⚾️

MONONA 1️⃣3️⃣ vs DEFOREST 1️⃣

As the dreary weather falls down today, we reminisce on the verdant and spirited start to the young baseball season that the Monona Braves have had so far. Last Sunday, Monona opened up the gates of Murphy-Anthony field at Ahuska Park for their first home game of the season. Welcoming the DeForest Deacons to town, the Braves looked to continue their quest for yet another Eastern Section crown.

Monona sent ace Sam Lund to the mound to begin the game. Sam twirled another gem as he plowed through the Deacons lineup. Striking out 5 batters through the first two innings, he rarely had to rely on his defensive teammates behind him. With Monona players lulled to a daze behind Sam’s pitching, it took awhile for their offensive bats to come alive.

Stranding two baserunners in the first inning, another in the second and going down in order in the third inning, it was clear something needed to change for Monona’s offense. Behind by a score of 1-0 going into the bottom of the fourth inning, Monona’s dugout switched from Red Vines to Twizzlers, Double Bubble to Hubba Bubba, long cut to leaf to***co and threw the bat rack in the trash. Those changes were all they needed to wake up the sticks. After a foul ball single by Schmitz and back to back walks from Carson Coyle and Robby Proehl (Monona Braves debut), the bases were loaded for newly minted 8-hitter Taylor Carlson. Feeling the relief of job security, Carlson belted a bases clearing double to begin the scoring. Next, Mason Coyle reached on an error so Dom Najacht tally two more RBI’s with a double of his own. O’Brien capped off the six run scoring outburst with a sacrifice fly.

Monoan’s bats wanted more in the following frame as Schmitz led off the fifth inning with a reverberating double of his own. Schmitz was allowed third base on a crafty runners interference call and later scored on an RBI single from Robby Proehl. Mason Coyle found his way on base with a single of his own. Dom Najacht grabbed his third RBI of the day before Mason scored on a wild pitch. With the addition of three more runs, the Braves sat comfortably with a 9-1 lead after five innings.

Sam Lund sat down the side in order during the top half of the sixth inning to finish his outing with a sat line of 6ip, 12k, 2bb, 4h, 1er and bring his league leading strikeout total to 20 in only two appearances. Lund was replaced on the mound by Corey Schmidt for what would end up being the seventh and final frame. Before Schmidt went three up, three down in the top half of the seventh, Monona scored four more runs in the bottom half of the sixth. Back to back walks from Rajkovich and Caed Lund (Monona Braves debut), gave way for back to back to back singles from Carson Coyle, Robby Proehl and Taylor Carlson.

With a final score of 13-1, Monona walked away with a seven inning victory. Monona bested DeForest in the hit column 12 to 4 and still left 8 runners on base.

Last night, the Braves combined with McFarland for their annual Thursday Night League season and kicked it off with an 11-7 win against the Cross Plains Businessmen. Next up for Monona is another Eastern Section clash. This Sunday, Monona will host the Poynette fighting Davy Tomlinson’s at Murphy-Anthony field. First pitch is scheduled for 1pm.

Braves WIN
13-1
vs DeForest
in 7 innings

GAME DAY ‼️
We’re back at home. See you there!

MONONA 4️⃣ vs SUN PRAIRIE 3️⃣

As the enthusiasm and fanfare of the season opening double up opening weekend has worn off, the Monona Braves have found themselves in a familiar position. Sitting atop the standings of the Eastern Section. This early in the season, Monona has already found themselves alone as the only team in the section without a loss.

It was also a familiar position for Monona’s ace, Sam Lund, as he toed the rubber for his first start of the season. Sam is yet again looking to defend his Eastern Section Pitcher of the Year title. Picking up exactly where he left off, Sam went 1, 2, 3 in the first inning with two backwards K’s and a weak infield fly to set the tone of the game.

Striving to get something greater than zero on the scoreboard, Mason Coyle led off the top of the second inning with a single. In his first at bat of the season, Andrew Rajkovich also drilled a single before Dom Najacht walked to load the bases. Taylor Carlson, batting for the second time in as many innings, ‘did a job’ to plate the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly to center field.

The lone run for Monona appeared as if it could run the table with Lund sitting down the side in order across the second inning. However, Sun Prairie countered in the third inning with a two out RBI single to tie the game up at one apiece. Lund appeared unfazed by the fortuitous run, and plowed forward to face one over the minimum for the next 10 outs.

Monona’s offense relentlessly found a way on base all game but struggled to crack the code of touching home plate safely over the next few innings. Through six innings, Monona had scattered six hits and ultimately left eight runners on base. The seventh inning changed for the Braves as they finally got some two out magic and eventually ran Sun Prairie’s starting pitcher out of the game. Kian O’Brien and Kyle McHugh set the blueprint with consecutive two out singles by first pitch swinging. Although some call him Coach, even he knows when to shut up and follow suit from veteran leadership. Again, first pitch swinging, Coach drove in the go ahead run with a two out RBI single. And just like that, in a span of three pitches with two outs, Sun Prairie went down a run and down their starting pitcher.

The Brave’s countered with a pitching move of their own. Lund finished his season opening outing with a line of 6ip, 8k, 1bb, 2h, 1er. Monona’s Zac Najacht was cut short of telling stories to kids in the bullpen of his college roommate, Abner Doubleday, and thrust into duty. Najacht dusted off the cobwebs to sit down the side in order while even fielding his position for a 1-3 putout.

With the game still at a stagnant scoring pace of 2-1, favoring Monona, in the bottom of the ninth inning, Sun Prairie finally put something together. Playing small ball, they plated a run off of two singles on either side of a sac bunt. Pushing the game to a tie after regulation.

In the tenth inning, Monona’s offense found it much easier to score when given the opportunity to begin with a runner on second base. Schmitz began as the placed runner and advanced to third as the Coyle broth3rs took back-to-back walks. With the bases loaded, Dom Najacht picked up his father, who blew the save opportunity in the previous inning, by punching across an RBI single. Taylor Carlson then absorbed a hit by pitch for his second RBI of the day and eventual game winning run.

In a game that felt like riding the Mad Mouse at Little Amerricka, Monona bested Sun Prairie and escaped out of Marshall by a final score of 4-3 in ten innings. Next up, Monona will look to open up Murphy-Anthony Field for the first time this year as they host DeForest on Sunday. The home opener kicks off at 1pm. Tent City check in and season pass vouchers will be disbursed after home team batting practice.

Monona WINS 4-3
in 10 innings
vs Sun Prairie

MONONA 1️⃣5️⃣ vs MONTELLO 4️⃣

The Monona Braves traveled to the Eastern Section's great north of Montello, on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. They were finally able to get a game in, and kick off the 2026 championship season. Monona attempted to get the game started right away, but first, had to wait for leadoff hitter Taylor Carlson to fly out to the second baseman. After that, they put a run on the board and never looked back. Terek Verhage entered the chat fresh off his freshman season of big boy college baseball with a hustle double. Kyle Mchugh moved him over to third with a line drive single before Terek scored the games' first run on a wild pitch.

Corey Schmidt took the mound for the Monona Braves in the season's virgin game and proved his veteran prowess. Schmidt clearly took his off-season training program moderately seriously. He reaped the benefits as he gave up just one hit through the games first three innings. Schmidt gave up his first run of the year in the fourth inning as he worked around two singles.

With the braves leading by a score of 3-1 entering the 5th inning of play, they knew they had to bust it open. Kian O’Brien got the scoring started with a 2-out, solo home run, to the top of the bleachers in right center. A two-out rally ensued with Mac Vesperman and Mason Coyle both scoring on hard hit by the youngest Coyle broth3r, Carson.

Corey Schmidt blew through the bottom of the 5th inning, allowing the Braves to get right back on the bats. Monona opened the game up in the top of the 6th inning with the addition of 4 more Brave runs. At this point in the game, all Monona Brave’s hitters had reached base successfully at least once. The score being 6-1.

Schmidt, feeling good from a whole off-season of rest, scampered back out to the mound for the 6th inning. He gave up a solo home run, hit the next batter and then walked a guy before he realized that pitching with the lead didn’t mean giving up a bunch of runs. Corey literally gutted up and got himself out of the inning with minimal damage. Monona finished the 6th inning up, 10-3.

Entering the 7th and eventual concluding frame of the contest, Jackson Hewitt finally got a single after hitting the ball hard all day. The Monona Braves followed his lead by batting around in the order to score 5 more runs in the inning. This most recent influx put Monona in the lead by a score of 15-3 to finish the inning.

Looking for a desperation chance, Montello entered the bottom of the seventh with presumably low expectations. Dom Najacht took to the mound to flirt with that idea, but eventually sent the message. Dom ended up walking the bases loaded before striking out the last Montello batter to end the game by a dummy rule score of 15-4 after 7 innings.

Monona secured their first victory of the season, in their first game! Next, they travel to Marshall to face off against the Sun Prairie Tweety Birds. First pitch is set for 1pm at Fireman's Park in Marshall on Memorial Day Monday.