Holmen High School's baseball team outhit Onalaska 9-4 in Monday's Mississippi Valley Conference game. But only three of those hits came with runners on base, nabbing the Vikings in a 7-5, 10-inning loss at Viking Field.

Onalaska's Adam Puls drew a bases-loaded walk to force home Andrew Harlos with the game-winning run. Harlos and Kyle Stewart drew walks off Ryan Meyer to start the inning, with both runners sacrificed up a base apiece by Bryant Rude.

Rude also reached when Meyer mishandled the bunt. Dustin Luecke gave Onalaska an insurance run when Stewart scored on his slow ground ball to shortstop Trevor Miehe. Stewart retired Holmen in order in the bottom half.

“We hit the ball, continuing what we started at Adams-Friendship (May 6), but didn't get enough timely hitting,” HHS coach Pete Barsness said. “We swung at too many first-pitch curve balls. You shouldn't mind being down 0-1 in the count. When the opposing teams sees that, they're going to throw a lot more curve balls.”

Stewart also wiggled out of a jam in the bottom of the seventh to keep the game going. The Vikings put their first two runners on base courtesy of singles from Jordan Gerardy and Brian Vike. Both runners were sacrificed up a base each by Tyler McCoy, with Gerardy scoring and Vike advancing to third when Stewart was called for a balk.

Onalaska coach Daren Simms said umpires Tom Barth and Greg Rediske told him that Stewart started toward the plate, then flinched. Simms said he thought Stewart got a cleat stuck in the dirt trying to step off the mound, making the play look awkward, but not worthy of a balk call. The call became moot when Stewart got Levi Adank to ground out to Rude at first and got Meyer on a comebacker.

OHS led 5-1 through 5 1/2 innings on the strength of home runs from Stewart and Andy Mills. Stewart's blast to right-center drove in Mills after the junior reached on an error to start the game.

But Holmen battled back with three runs in the sixth, beginning with a Vike double over the head of Harlos in center. Vike scored on a wild pitch, with Jared Bagniewski walking and scoring when Matt Johnson reached on an error. Ross Jenks had an infield single in the next at-bat.

“We did battle back to tie it up, which was good,” Barsness said. “And to play 10 innings in a game you have to have done a nice job defensively. But the walks hurt us.”

Stewart earned the win with 4 1/3 innings of three-hit relief, including getting out of the sixth with the go-ahead runs on base by getting Trevor Miehe to ground out to Mills. Meyer took the loss despite retiring the first 13 hitters he faced from the fifth through the ninth, with both walks in the 10th turning into unearned runs after the mishandled bunt.

Miehe pitched the first 4 2/3 innings, allowing four hits, five runs and four earned runs. McCoy did not allow a hit or run after replacing Meyer, but did allow the two inherited runners to score.

Postseason positioning for the Vikings will be determined Wednesday when seeding meetings are conducted. HHS could get a rematch at Onalaska May 30.

“They were better at being basic today, but we're capable of beating them,” Barsness said. “In the one-and-done that is Wisconsin high school baseball, anything can happen. There have been plenty of years where teams with losing records have made it to state.

“We got incredible pitching and defense early, then had four straight games where we had at least 10 hits, but weren't a solid on defense. If we can get both sides things still can happen.”