Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association

WBCA ALL-STAR CLASSIC: GAME 2

The West rallies for three runs in the final inning to beat the East 3-2

Light rain continued to fall as the West All Stars sent District I Player of the Year Jake Sparger from Eau Claire Memorial to the mound.  Sparger, who will be pitching for the University of Louisville next spring, had a terrific season, going 7-0 for the Old Abes with an ERA of 0.29.  Menomonee Falls’ Cole Hernikl was the first to face Sparger.  Hernikl took a tailing fast ball off the elbow to reach first base.  Franklin’s Tyler Gentz struck out on a tight slider.  University School’s Billy Lawton flew out to center for the second out.  District IX Player of the Year Kevin Tibor from Kenosha  Bradford grounded to shortstop Sam Hurt, from Eau Claire North, who made a nice play to throw him out at first.

The East sent Franklin’s Evan Kruczynski, who will play for East Carolina next spring, to the mound.  Stevens Point’s Eric Zelhofer struck out on a blistering fast ball to start the bottom of the first.  Sam Hurt flew out to right for the second out but River Fall’s Alex Call drew a walk to become the game’s first baserunner.   Call took second on a wild pitch. Kruczynski got Bo Howard from Marshfield. to check swing on a curve ball in the dirt to avoid any damage. 

Racine Saint Catherine’s flew out to right field to Onalaska’s Dustin Gordon on a bizarre play. Gordon was camped under the ball as a neighborhood firework exploded behind him.  Gordon kept his cool and caught the ball.  Sparger got West Allis Hale’s Nick Sotiros to ground out weakly to himself.  Watertown’s Carson Weber laced a single to centerfield for the East’s first runner. Brookfield East’s Nick Kanavas drew a walk.  Racine Horlick’s Michael Aiello also drew a walk, loading the bases. Sparger got out of the jam with help from Zelhofer at second base, who speared a hot one-hopper off the bat of Hernikl to get out of the inning.

Gordon and DC Everest’s Josh Nielsen both struck out in the bottom of the second.  New Richmond’s Drew Durham reached on catcher’s interference. Kruczynski got Sparger to fly out to deep centerfield for the innings final out.

Gentz led the top of the third off with a sharp single to centerfield. Lawton hit into a fielder’s choice. He went to second when Tibor drew a walk. Weisbrod grounded into a fielder’s choice, putting runners on first and third with two outs. Sparger once again escaped when Sotiros lined out to centerfield.

Kruczynski struck out Elk Mound’s Garret Phillips to start the bottom of the third.  Zelhofer grounded out to short for the second out.  Hurt lined out hard to center for the third out. 

Weber led of for the East in the top of the fourth and walked on four pitches. Kanavas singled hard to center on the first pitch he saw. Aiello also hit the first pitch, but that was snared by Call in centerfield for the first out. Weber scored the game’s first run on a wild pitch from Sparger, as Kanavas advanced to third. Gentz drew a walk, putting runners on the corners.  Lawton flew out right field to end the inning.

Call grounded out hard to Weber at first, who speared the hot one-hopper to get the first out of the inning.  Kruczynski hit Howard on the arm to put a runner on. Gordon chased a high fast ball for the second out. Nielsen lined out to center to end the inning.

Greenwood’s Westin Wuethrich coming off Greenwood’s DIV State Championship, took the mound for the West in the fifth. He struck out Menomonee Fall’s Brett Krause for the first out and Kenosha Tremper’s Kyle Kutzler for the second out. Kenosha Bradford’s Tony DeBartolo reached on a walk. Weber singled hard to left to put runners on first and second.  Union Grove’s Adam Filz singled hard down the left field line, driving in DeBartolo, with Weber holding at second base. With Catholic Memorial’s Justin Dentici at the plate, both runners advanced one base on a wild pitch.  Wuethrich got out of the jam when he got Dentici to ground out to second.

The West, still hitless after four innings, were happy to see Kruczynski leave the game.  The East sent Oak Creek’s Hayden Krimmer to the hill with a 2-0 lead.  Bruce’s Mitchell Johnson led off the fifth for the West by striking out looking. Wuethrich grounded out to second and Amery’s Kyle Mullendore struck out for another 1-2-3 inning by the East pitching staff.

Ben Carpenter from Wauwatosa East popped out to second for the first out of the sixth inning.  Racine Case’s Zach Brenner grounded out to third. Krimmer drew a walk with two outs but Krause grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning.

Hudson’s Austin Evenson flew out to centerfield to start the bottom of the sixth.  La Crosse Logan’s Jonah Waite broke up the no hitter by hitting a hard single to left.  Call reached first on a fielder’s choice as Waite got cut down at second.  Antigo’s Justen Wegter popped out to second to end the threat.

In the top of the 7th, Wuethrich struck out Kutzler to get the first out.  DeBartollo reached on an infield single and Weber got his third hit of the game with a sharp single to right.  Filz drew a walk on a 14-pitch at bat to load the bases with one out. Dentici flew out to short centerfield, with all runners holding. Carpenter grounded out to short to end the inning, stranding three.

Turtle Lake-Clayton’s Kyle Larson reached on an error by shortstop Ben Carpenter.  Ellsworth’s James Georgakas flew out to left for the inning’s first out. Johnson hit a smash to shortstop that was again mishandled by Carpenter, advancing all hands. Wuethrich made it hurt when he doubled down the right field line, plating Larson and advancing Johnson to third.  The East chose to walk Mullendore intentionally, loading the bases with one out. On the very next pitch, Evenson doubled to left, driving in two runs and giving the West the come from behind victory, 3-2.

 

EAST        000 110 0       2    7    2

WEST        000 000 3       3    3    0

 

EAST:            AB R H BI    OTHER

Hernikl (2B)        2000    HBP, SB

  Carpenter (2B)    1000

Gentz (CF)        2010    K, BB

  Brenner (CF)    1000

Kruczynski (P)    0000

Lawton (DH)        3000

   Krimmer (P)    0000    BB

Tibor (3B)        1000    BB

   Krause (3B)    2000    K

Weisbrod (RF)    1000

   Kutzler (RF)    1000    K

Sotiros (LF)        2000

   DeBartollo (LF)    1110    BB

Weber (1B)        3130    BB

Kanavas (SS)    1010    BB

   Filz (SS)        1011    BB

Aiello (C)        1000    BB

   Dentici (C)        2000

 

 

WEST:

            AB  R  H  BI   OTHER

Zelhofer (2B)    2000    K

 Evenson (2B)    2012    2B

Hurt (SS)        2000

 Waite (SS)        1010

Call (CF)        3000    BB

Howard (3B)        1000    K, HBP

 Wegter (3B)        1000

Gordon (RF)        2000    KK

 Larson (RF)        1000

Nielsen (1B)        2000    K

 Georgakas (1B)    1000

Durham (C)        1000

 Johnson (C)    2000    K

Sparger (P)        1000

 Wuethrich (P)    2011

Phillips (LF)        1000    K

 Mullendore (LF)    1000    K, BB

 

Kruczynski        4IP, 0R, 0ER, 0H, 1BB, 6K

Krimmer (L)        2-1/3 IP, 3R, 0ER, 3H, 1BB, 3K

 

Sparger        4IP, 1R, 1ER, 3H, 5BB, 1K

Wuethrich (W)    3IP, 1R, 1ER, 4H, 3BB, 3K

 

UMPIRES: Mike Breed, Sam King, Ron Quirk, and Ty Rogers.

Time of Game: 1:45