An Amazing Ride Cut Short

It proved to be an amazing ride all summer long for the Monroe baseball team, but Friday's I-84 Championship game didn't offer the storybook ending that players and coaches alike had worked so hard for.

An extremely tough New Fairfield ball club came to town and eventually pulled away thanks to a big fourth inning to secure the championship with a 10-1 victory at Beardsley Field.

For Monroe though, there was absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Players hustled and teammates worked tirelessly to manufacture a rally that never quite took flight.

"I'm just really proud of our guys," said Monroe Manager Bill Duignan. "They never stopped fighting until the final out."

"I've coached these kids for four years and this is definitely the best team we've had and the most this team has achieved since I started coaching them," he said. "The chemistry and unity that they share with one another is tremendous, and it's been a lot of fun all summer."

Monroe and New Fairfield were locked into a 1-1 game through three frames, but six runs in the fourth gave the visitors a comfortable lead they would not relinquish.

Starter Brian McGonnigle was stout all evening, hurling a complete game while surrendering a lone run to the batsmen of Monroe.

In first inning action, third baseman Justin Young continued his torrid summer at the plate with a single to get things going for Monroe. Two batters later, Pat Ryan ripped a laser beam single to plate Young.

After mashing a moon shot last night in a wild 10-9 come-from-behind win for Monroe, Young entered Friday night's contest on fire, having blasted four home runs in the past three games.

For Young, the defeat was naturally tough to take, but he held his head high in conveying what a fun ride its been with his teammates and coaches.

"We played hard but our defense wasn't as strong as it normally is," said Young. "Every game this summer, we fought and we played really hard. I'm really proud of our team."

Standout shortstop Jay Buhlmann made a pair of strong defensive stops while reaching base on a pair of occasions. Just like Young, Bulhmann echoed how much fun the past four years have been.

"It's always a lot of fun to go out there and play with these guys," said Bulhmann. "We didn't play as well as we would have liked, but we played hard. Our team never quit once this summer. We can definitely be proud of that."