The Plum City Blues may have a young team, but after the first half of the season was loaded with one or two-run ball games, they have started to grow up in a hurry.

“We’re pretty young. We haven’t had the same lineup for any of our games,” Blues manager Tony Garner said. “We’re trying to find that cohesiveness as a full unit. We just haven’t had that yet.”

A tough 0-2 weekend dropped them to 3-6 in league play with losses to Hudson and defending Class B State Champion Osceola. Despite this, the Blues feel they could be finding their footing with a July schedule that features four out of six games at home.

“A younger team, and kids are trying to figure out how to win,” Garner said. “Most of the time it’s fun to watch. We’ve had a few bad ones, but overall, they’re a pretty good group of kids, fun to watch.”

Sunday’s game took place on long-time Blues pitcher and manager Garner’s 55th birthday. Garner has become somewhat of a town-ball hero in the community, known as a pin-point accurate pitcher who can shut down any lineup. He has pitched complete games well into his 50s and has been striking out batters in Plum City since the beginning of his 29-year Blues career.

“It’s always a fun time. It’s good to be out with the guys and still be able to play every now and then,” Garner said. “Do pretty much everything baseball during the summer, coach it, play it.”

Garner knows how much it means to Plum City to have a team there, and he is pleased to have been a part of keeping it around for so long.

The pitching has been holding Plum City together this year. Garner credited Jarrod Pelzel and Landan Lampman for leading the way as well as some of the younger spot relievers for stepping up in key situations.

At the plate is where the Blues are trying to turn things around. Garner wants to see more aggressive approaches, as the team has watched fastballs go by at times.

“We’re going to actually have to get some practice in,” Garner said. “We’re kind of all over the place as far as the guys and where they live, so we just need to find a time to get a little extra BP in.”

Garner encouraged fans to get out to the ballpark in the final month to see them make a push back into the heart of the league standings.