Waunakee 3, Arrowhead 1
Waunakee (21-6) won the Division 1 championship with a 3-1 victory over Arrowhead in the final game of the 2018 State Spring Baseball Tournament at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium Thursday evening.
The Warriors broke a scoreless tie with back-to-back doubles in the fifth inning. With two outs, Dane Luebke hit the gap in left center and Taiten Manriquez drove him in on a hit down the left field line. They added two more runs in the sixth. Nate Stevens belted in a run with a triple to right-center field and Ben Nordloh followed with an RBI single through of the middle of the infield.
The Warhawks provided drama in the bottom of the seventh as Bryce Toussaint and Alex Tanke began the inning with singles. After a strikeout and flyout, Jacob Johnson singled to bring Toussaint home to cut the deficit to 3-1, but two runners were left stranded on the bases with a ground out to first base to end the game.
Nate Stevens was the only player with multiple hits for the Warriors, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Derek Lee tossed a complete game to earn the victory. He allowed one run on six hits while striking out two.
The Warhawks were led offensively by Chandler Pulvermacher with a pair of hits. Luke Schraufnagel was the losing pitcher, giving up three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings of work. Carter Endisch came on to pitch a scoreless 1 2/3 innings with two strikeouts.
The Warriors win the program’s first State title in their 10th tournament appearance, and Arrowhead (25-4) finishes runner-up in its fourth tournament experience and for the second time in the past three seasons.
Waupun 4, Jefferson 0
Waupun (24-3) won the title with a 4-0 shutout over Jefferson in the Division 2 championship game of the 2018 State Spring Baseball Tournament at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium Thursday afternoon.
The Warriors scored the only run they needed with a tally in the first inning. Jak Lenz led off with a single, was sacrificed to second base and scored on a Caleb Sauer single. They added another run in the third inning on a Lenz double, which scored Bradyn VandeZande, who singled to lead off the inning.
Another Lenz double drove in a run in the fifth inning, and he scored the final run of the game later in the frame on a throwing error.
Lenz was 3-for-3 in the game with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored. Caden Bronkhorst pitched 6 2/3 innings to earn the victory. He allowed three hits and struck out nine. Vaughn Williston pitched the final 1/3 of an inning to record the save.
The Eagles collected four hits in the game, including two by Brandon Laesch. Ian Drays pitched a complete game and was charged with the loss. He yielded seven hits and four runs with five strikeouts.
Waupun wins its second State championship in the Warriors’ eighth tournament appearance. They also claimed the Division 2 title in 2007. Jefferson (19-10) finishes runner-up in its sixth State appearance.
Webster 8, St. Mary Central 2
Webster (27-3) won the title with an 8-2 victory over St. Mary Catholic in the Division 3 championship game of the 2018 State Spring Baseball Tournament at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium Thursday afternoon.
Webster took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Jack Washburn sacrifice fly, which drove in Trevor Gustafson, who doubled to lead off the game. St. Mary Catholic grabbed a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the frame on a two-run double by TJ Skrzypzcak.
The Tigers got back to even at 2-2 with a run on a Carsen Stenberg sacrifice fly. Webster broke the game open in the sixth inning by scoring four times. Jack Washburn tripled and scored on a base hit by Hunter Gustafson. Brad Sigfrids belted a triple later in the inning to drive in a pair of runs, and he scored on a Trenton Wols single. They added two runs in the seventh inning on a Zephyrs’ error and a sacrifice fly.
Sigfrids led all batters with three hits in the game for the Tigers, a home run short of the cycle. He also drove in two runs and scored once. Owen Washburn also had a multiple-hit game with a triple and a single. Jack Washburn earned the victory on the mound, surrendering a pair of runs on three hits through five innings with 11 strikeouts. Owen Washburn pitched two hitless innings in relief.
Skrzypzcak and Christian Jack each had a double to account for two of the three Zephyrs’ hits, and starting pitcher Davis Wilson was charged with loss. He gave up three runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings.
The Tigers win their first State title after qualifying for the tournament for the first time last season. St. Mary Catholic (18-3) finishes runner-up in its sixth State appearance.
Athens 13, Thorp 10
Athens (21-2) won its second straight championship with a 13-10 win over Thorp in the Division 4 final of the 2018 State Spring Baseball Tournament at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium Thursday morning.
The game featured a combined 23 runs, 23 hits and 14 errors.
With the score tied 2-2, Athens scored six times in the fourth inning with the aid of four hits and four Thorp errors. Marshall Westfall delivered the key hit in the inning with a two-run single. Thorp scored three times in its half of the inning, two runs were driven in on a single by Ryan Stunkel.
The Fighting Blue Jays added four runs in the fifth inning, fueled by six hits, to lead 12-5. Klay Ellenbecker drove in a pair of runs in the rally with a single. The Cardinals attempted to battle back with five runs in the sixth inning to reduce their deficit to 12-10. Quade Webster had one of the Cardinals’ three hits in the inning with a run-scoring double, and Athens committed three errors to spark the rally.
The Fighting Blue Jays added an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Ellenbecker reached on an error and later scored on a throwing error.
Thorp committed a Division 4 State tournament record eight errors in the game that led to eight unearned runs. Athens had six errors that led to nine unearned runs.
Marshall Westfall tied a Division 4 record with four hits in the game, including a triple. He drove in two runs and scored twice. Javon Penny collected three hits and scored twice. Seth Coker, Connor Westfall and Dayne Dietheim each added two hits. Ellenbecker drove in two runs and set a Division 4 record with four runs scored.
Marshall Westfall was credited with the victory, tossing four innings, giving up five hits and five runs, but only one run was earned. Dakota Willemssen earned the save, allowing three hits and five unearned runs in three innings.
The Cardinals were led offensively by Jakob Rosemeyer with three hits and a pair of runs scored. Quade Webster also had two hits, including a double and two runs batted in. Chris Komanec started on the mound for Thorp and was charged with the loss, yielding seven hits and five walks in 3 1/3 innings.
It’s the third State title for the Fighting Blue Jays in three trips to State. In addition to their back-to-back titles, they won the Class C crown in 1982. Thorp (14-11) places runner-up in its first-ever State tournament.