GRAND CHUTE, Wis. – The 2024 State Baseball Tournament produced champions in four divisions at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium Thursday.
Top-seeded De Pere (27-3) captured the Division 1 championship with a 5-1 victory over third-seeded Sun Prairie East (27-5) in the title game.
Leading 1-0 in the second inning, the Redbirds scored three times in the bottom of the inning on three hits, a pair of stolen bases and a Cardinals’ error. Landon Raygo made the lead stand up, allowing just one run to get credit for the complete-game victory. He surrendered four hits and struck out seven batters.
Axel Donaldson led the De Pere offense, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two stolen bases and an RBI from the lead-off position. Mason Sequin and Trenton Kriewaldt were also leading contributors with a pair of hits in the Redbirds’ nine-hit attack.
Four batters collected singles to account for Sun Prairie East offense, including an RBI hit by Gavin Meece. Starting pitcher Joe Tamboli was charged with the loss, allowing four unearned runs in two innings.
It’s the first baseball championship for De Pere and the program’s fifth State Tournament appearance. Sun Prairie East finished runner-up in its first State appearance since splitting into two high schools.
Third-seeded Edgewood (22-6) rallied from an early deficit to post a 12-6 win over top-seeded Mosinee (25-6) in the Division 2 championship game.
Gavin Obremski blasted a two-run homer to highlight a three-run first inning for the Indians. The Crusaders responded by scoring two runs in both the third and fourth innings, and they dealt the deciding blow in the fifth inning with seven runs on seven hits.
Edgewood clubbed 15 hits in the game. Henry Bishop and Carson Jesberger both had three hits, and Jack Holloran and Preston Yaucher add two hits apiece. Steffen Mellow tossed 6 2/3 innings to record the win on the mound. He allowed eight hits and six runs, four earned, with five strikeouts.
Taylor Lemanski had three hits, scored three times and drove in two runs to lead Mosinee at the plate, including an inside-the-park home run. Obremski had a pair of hits with two runs scored and two driven in. Keagan Jirschele was the starting pitcher and was charged with the loss in 3 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on five hits and five walks.
Edgewood won its third championship in the sixth State appearance for the Crusaders, and Mosinee finished runner-up in its seventh State experience.
Top-seeded Aquinas (25-4) used a four-run fourth inning to surge past second-seeded Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic (24-5) to gain possession of the Division 3 crown with a 6-4 win in the championship game.
The Blugolds collected five hits in their half of the fourth inning to erase a 1-0 deficit, including a two-run double off the bat of Kyle White. The Lancers scored two runs in the top of the fifth inning without the aid of a hit to draw within a run at 4-3, but Aquinas added insurance by scoring a run in the fifth and sixth innings.
Tanner Peterson had a game-high three hits for the Blugolds, and White added two hits to lead the Aquinas offense, which compiled 11 hits. Peterson was also the winning pitcher, yielding four runs on seven hits while striking out seven in 6 2/3 innings. Eddie Peters recorded the final out to be credited with a save.
Peter Visconti belted a pair of doubles and Zach Rizzo collected a pair of singles to lead the Lancers at the plate. Starting pitcher Tommy Santarelli went 3 1/3 innings and was charged with the loss. He surrendered three runs on five hits.
Aquinas won its third State championship in its eighth State appearance. Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic finished runner-up in its eighth experience at State.
Top-seeded Eleva-Strum (23-8) rolled to an 11-1, five-inning victory over third-seeded Solon Springs/Northwood (20-2) to win the Division 4 championship.
The Cardinals jumped on the Eagles in the home half of the first inning with seven runs on four hits, including a two-run triple by Brady Zimpel and a two-run single by Alex Anderson. Eleva-Strum continued its run-scoring onslaught in the second inning with four runs on just one hit. Back-to-back walks to lead-off the inning, as well as a pair of throwing errors contribute to the production.
Tyler Webb threw all five innings for Eleva-Strum to earn the victory. He gave up one run on three hits and struck out six batters. Six different players accounted for the Cardinals’ six hits in the game. Anderson drove in a game-high three runs.
Blaise Kidder drove in the only run of the game for the Eagles on one of their three hits in the game. Starting pitcher Jared Schultz suffered the defeat on the mound. He surrendered 11 runs, seven earned, and five hits in an inning of work.
Eleva-Strum won the championship in the program’s first appearance in the State Tournament, and Solon Springs/Northwood finished runner-up in its first experience at State.