The dog days of the 2024 Dairyland Collegiate League are hopefully behind the Maunesha River Rats. Waterloo’s hometown team hit a bit of a rough patch in the middle of it season, at one pointlosing seven straight games to drop to the bottom of the league’s standings.
That trend has been kicked, though. The River Rats halted that losing skid with a 13-11 home win over Northshore on the Fourth of July. They turned that win into a streak as they claimed a pair of wins in a road doubleheader with the Wisconsin Cheese Kings, 15-2 and 8-4, on Friday, July 5. To top it all off, Maunesha played another doubleheader in Johnson Creek on Sunday, July 7 and won both against the Mapaches, 12-4 and 7-3.
Thursday’s home matchup against Northshore fit the Independence Day theme as there were offensive fireworks from both sides. Both teams enjoyed a seven-run inning, Maunesha in the bottom of the fifth and Northshore in the top of the seventh. The River Rats also scored three runs each in both the bottom of the second and ninth innings to escape with the two-run win.
It was a big day at the plate for James Love (Eastern Illinois University) and Nick Guidici (Parkland College), both of whom knocked in three RBIs. Love connected also connected on a double, as did Lincoln Becker (NIAAC) and Tyler Froland (NIAAC). Becker and Froland both drove in one RBI each, as did Cole Bush (Baldwin Wallace University), Connor Greuel (Southeastern College), and Jackson Hunley (Lewis University). Bradyn Horn (UW-Milwaukee) drew three walks and came in to score each time.
Up next was a doubleheader with the Wisconsin Cheese Kings at the Janesville Sports Complex on Friday, July 5. Momentum from the previous day’s offensive outburst carried over into the first game as the Rats rolled to a 15-2 win. The Rats struck early and often in the win with five runs in the top of the second inning, four in the third, and three each in both the fourth and fifth.
Bush was the headliner, going 3-3 with a double and a drawn walk to drive in a team-high four RBIs and come in to score twice. Horn was no slouch himself as his lone hit of the day was a bases-loaded double to clear the pond. Guidici had two RBIs and Love, Hunley, and Froland all contributed one each.
On the pitching mound, it was a quality start for Andrew McGray (Manchester University). In his 4.1 innings of work, he allowed only four hits while giving up seven walks. He recovered to record five strikeouts to let the Cheese Kings only score twice, only one of which counted against his earned run average. Relief pitcher Noe Marrero (Waubonsee College) was flawless to follow, allowing only one hit with no earned runs and two strikeouts to ice the win.
The Cheese Kings were a bit more punchy in the second game of the doubleheader. They scored first in the bottom of the second inning, but the Rats came to life with two runs in the top of the third and five more in the top of the fourth. While the Cheese Kings made some noise to follow, Maunesha was able to hold them off in an 8-4 win.
It certainly helped to get a complete game pitching effort out of Alex Oddo (Waubonsee College). In his time on the mound, he allowed five hits with seven walks. He struck out three as he allowed just four Cheese Kings scores.
As for the offense, Love smoked his second homerun of the year, a two-run shot in the top of the third inning. Guidici also connected on a two-run double while Bush and Greuel knocked in one RBI each. Jaiden Jung (Milwaukee Area Tech) also bashed a double.
Red-hot, Maunesha entered the Sunday, July 7 doubleheader with Johnson Creek with confidence. That showed in the first game as the bats roared to life for eight runs in the top of the third inning of an eventual 12-4 win.
Keli Grennier (McHenry County College) was the highlight offensively, going 3-4 with a double to drive in a team-high three RBIs. Greuel also went 1-2 with two drawn walks, knocking in two RBIs and coming in to score twice as well. Hunley also had a nearly flawless game at the plate, going 2-2 with a drawn walk to produce an RBI and come in to score three times. John Hadley VI (UW-Milwaukee), Horn, Koci, and Froland all contributed one RBI, as well.
Johnson Creek did not score until the bottom of the third inning, where they collected four runs off of Maunesha’s starter. Ben Olsen (Carroll University) came in relief to calm things. The Mapaches would not get another hit for the remainder of the game as Olsen struck out two and slammed the door on the win.
The Rats’ bats just kept moving in the second game of the doubleheader. They struck first with two runs in the top of the first inning. They never looked back, scoring tow more in the top of the third and three in the top of the fourth in an eventual 7-3 win.
Jung had a phenomenal day, going 2-4 with a dobule and a homerun, driving in two RBIs in the process. Becker also drove in a pair of RBIs thanks to his triple. Greuel came up clutch from the bottom of the batting order, going 2-4 with three RBIs.
Pitching was a combined solid effort from Jackson Burk (UW-Whitewater), Alek Zdziarski (Edgewood College), and Austin Olla (UW-La Crosse). Burk got the start and the win, going four innings with only two hits allowed. Both of those hits translated into earned runs, though. Zdziarski took over for two innings, allowing just two hits with three strikeouts for one earned run. Olla handled the final stanza, allowing just one hit with no runs to ice the game.
With the winning streak, Maunesha is now far from the basement of the league and nearing a .500 record at 9-10 overall. The Rats are right in the mix in the middle of the standings as Waukesha is 9-8 and Northshore is 9-9.
Up next is the 2024 DCL all-star game, hosted at Waterloo Fireman’s Park on Thursday, July 11. The River Rats then return to action on the weekend, starting with a trip to Johnson Creek to play the Mapaches again on Saturday, July 13. They’ll close the week with a home matchup with Waukesha on Sunday, July 14.
Dairyland Collegiate League standings
-as of Sunday, July 7
1. Lakeside, 15-2
2. Waukesha, 9-8
3. Northshore, 9-9
4. Maunesha, 9-10
5. Johnson Creek, 7-12
6. Cheese Kings, 5-13
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