Posted: July 6, 2010 |(0) Comments

It's time for the Nicolet baseball team to get serious.

That's why the remaining conference games will be played to the hilt this week and why new people will get looks in non-league action so premium starters can be rested.

There's a sense of urgency as the senior-dominated Knights try to seal up second in the North Shore Conference and look to grab the top seed in the WIAA sectional slated for Cedarburg on July 23.

"This is the time we have to bring it together," said catcher/pitcher Sam Kohnke, who had a grand slam and five RBIs in a 12-2 rout of border rival Whitefish Bay on Monday. "We want to start rolling and play as a team. Play good, fundamental baseball and just get the job done."

The win over Bay was part of a 4-2 stretch for Nicolet since June 29 that lifted the Knights' overall record to 21-10 and 11-5 in the conference. West Bend West remained in firm control of league play at 14-1 and 26-1 overall.

A packed schedule

The Knights' effort last week featured three games in 24 hours that included a remarkable seven-run rally to beat Germantown, 16-11, on June 30, a 12-2 win over Port Washington at Miller Park on Thursday and then a 6-2 loss to Cedarburg at 6 p.m. later that evening for which the Knights were "as flat as they could be" according to coach Dick Sykes.

Nicolet then rested starters in a 16-2 loss to nonconference opponent Kewaskum last Saturday. The Knights will visit Homestead at Rennicke Field at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the North Shore closer and then will visit nonconference power Brookfield Central on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Pitcher Max Kramsky pitched a five-inning one-hitter in an 11-0 rout of Germantown on June 29 and then came back to record three strikeouts and three walks in the win over Bay on Monday.

Kramsky grew up playing in the Glendale Little League, but spent his sophomore and junior years in Appleton going to St. Mary's Central High School. His family moved back to the area for his senior year.

"It's been great to come back here and play baseball with these guys," he said. "I played with them for 10 or 12 years (before moving) and it was great coming back to finish things off with them."

A grand week

And returning All-Suburban outfielder Brian Huntsinger simply had a huge week. His grand slam in the seventh capped the June 30 rally over Germantown and was the highlight to a monster day for him that included two home runs and eight RBIs.

He then came back to have a three-hit, three-RBI day against Bay despite a sore leg.

"I just told the guys that we had to stay together and battle as a team," Huntsinger said after the Germantown game. "We can't look at ourselves as individuals in a situation like that. All 14 of us have to stay together."

And that's what Sykes is encouraged by as the Knights fight for the top seed in their sectional. The seeding meetings are slated for this week.

Nicolet 12, Bay 2: The Blue Dukes' Mike Leckie ripped a two-out double off Kramsky to score both Pat Rose (double) and Jeff Kerr (walk) to give Bay a 2-1 lead on the Knights in the third.

But that was to be the high point of the night for Bay, as the Knights took the lead right back in the bottom of the frame. Huntsinger (three hits and three RBIs) tripled home two runs and Kohnke knocked him in with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2 Nicolet.

Blue Duke starter Justin Alt fought hard, but tired in the fourth, as the Knights put the game away with a seven-run, five-hit outburst. Huntsinger had an RBI single and then, with the bases loaded, Kohnke hit a majestic shot that disappeared into the night sky over the North Shore.

"We just got beat by a better team tonight," Blue Duke coach Jay Wojcinski said. "They hit the ball hard, played better defense and with Kramsky throwing the way he was, they were just way better than we were." Bay left the game at 6-9 in league play and 15-16 overall.

Kewaskum 16, Nicolet 2: A total of 10 walks by three pitchers did in the Knights in this road nonconference tilt on Saturday. Huntsinger and Kohnke were rested for this game as Andy Schneider and Zall knocked in runs.

Cedarburg 6, Nicolet 2: Nicolet had only four hits in the contest as Kohnke took the loss.

Nicolet 12, Port Washington 2: Huntsinger remained hot with another three-hit, two-RBI game as Kohnke had two hits and two RBIs. Sykes threw a different pitcher every inning in the six-inning victory at Miller Park.

Nicolet 16, Germantown 11: The Knights rallied for 12 runs in the final three innings, including Huntsinger's grand slam, to pull out the win. D.J. Peltz had three hits and three RBIs for the Knights.

Nicolet 11, Germantown 0: Rob Mayer had a home run, three hits and seven RBIs in the five-inning win.