Foster finds his pitch, connects for Brodhead/Juda's second straight walk-off win

BRODHEAD — Another day, another walk-off win.

Brodhead/Juda spotted Evansville a three-run lead in the top of the first in a Rock Valley Conference game Tuesday at Brodhead High, similar to the four runs yielded to Dodgeville in a game on the same diamond Monday night.

As they did against the Dodgers, the Cardinals (6-5 overall, 4-2 Rock Valley) chipped away at the deficit, even as the Blue Devils added a few more runs, before Tyrin Foster hit a walk-off single over the Evansville left fielder, handing his team a 6-5 victory.

“I don’t know if they’re good for my ticker,” Cardinals coach Aaron Guilbault said about the tight games, “but hopefully we can put up some more runs and not make it so close.”

Foster’s winning hit would not have been possible without the contributions of others.

David Masloske tied the game at 6-6 in the sixth with a first-pitch, two-out, two-RBI double.

Evan Senobe stepped onto the pitcher’s mound with two outs in the fourth and the bases full of Blue Devils and struck out the first batter he faced and then eight more to finish the game, making him the pitcher of record in the win.

Then in the seventh, Ryan Searls, Sam Searls and Kohen Sawle all reached base ahead of Foster (Ryan Searls was thrown out at third on his brother’s single) to set the stage for Brodhead/Juda’s No. 9 hitter in the batting order.

Foster took a couple of pitches before driving one over the Evansville left fielder to end the game.

“I love outside piches, I got an outside pitch, and I flung that thing to left field,” he said while wearing a novelty chain around his neck with an oversized Cardinal logo dangling from the front. “When it’s a big-game moment on the line, I love to do things like that.”

The Blue Devils (4-7, 3-4) took the lead right away in the top of the first, scoring three runs off Brodhead/Juda starter Elliott without recording a base hit.

They scored lone runs in the fourth on a Michael Horgan RBI single and in the fifth, again without a hit, that put them ahead 5-2.

“Our approach at the plate early was great,” Evansville coach Craig Paton said. “It’s what we’ve been working on. From the beginning of the season to now, it’s much improved.”

Sam Searls made it 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI fielder’s choice, and in the sixth, Pinnow led off with a walk, then Senobe reached on a one-out infield single to put runners on first and second.

Both tagged up on Gabe Bockhop’s fly ball to center field, and Masloske came up and jumped on the first pitch from Evansville’s Owen Kieffer to tie the game.

“On the first pitch, normally guys are trying to get ahead, so I was looking for a heater, saw it and capitalized,” Masloske said. “Our coaches and the players, our motto is we’re never out of it. All it takes is one big inning, chip away, any run helps.”

In Senobe’s three complete innings after getting the final out of the fourth, he struck out the side twice. The one run charged to him was unearned, and he gave up just one hit.

“He’s our bulldog, man,” Guilbault said. “He’s going to go on and play at (UW-)River Falls next year, and I can’t wait to see him play at the next level.”

For Evansville, leadoff man Alex Karnes reached base three times and scored twice. The Blue Devils also got a solid start out of Wyatt Nelson, who threw four-plus innings and gave up just two unearned runs and three hits. The Blue Devils had won two of their last three games entering play Tuesday.

“We were picked to finish fifth in the conference, but I think we’re much better than that, and I think we’re starting to play that way,” Paton said of his team. “We’re getting going at the right time. It’s just we didn’t have enough today.”

Brodhead/Juda’s win, meanwhile, helped them keep pace with Beloit Turner at the top of the Rock Valley Conference’s Rock Division at 5-2 in conference play.

“Turner is Turner,” Guilbault said. “They’re always going to be a well-coached program. We’re happy to compete and be in the conversation (for the conference title).”

Foster knew his school last won a league championship in baseball in 1989. So far this season, the Cardinals are keeping themselves in position to end that drought.

BRODHEAD/JUDA 6, EVANSVILLE 5

Evansville 300 110 0 — 5 6 1

Brodhead/Juda 002 012 1 — 6 8 2

Leading hitters — Horgen (E) 2x4, S. Searls (BJ) 2x3. 2B — Elliott (BJ), Masloske (BJ).

Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-k) — E: Nelson 4-3-2-0-5-1, faced one batter in the fifth; Kieffer 2-3-3-3-2-0; Harris L, 2/3-2-1-1-2-0. BJ: Elliott 3 2/3-5-4-4-5-1; Senobe W, 3 1/3-1-1-0-3-9.