GAME 5: WEST 4, SOUTH 2
West wins an ugly 13-walk affair, 4-2
WEST vs SOUTH, Game 5
West wins an ugly 13-walk affair, 4-2
Wisconsin Dell’s Colyn Buss took the hill for the 2-0 South All-Stars agains the West who was 1-1 ont he weekend. Buss, who was 17-0 combined during his junior and senior seasons, was the District III Player of the Year. Buss surrendered a single to Stevens Point’s Eric Zelhofer on the first pitch of the game. Eau Claire North’s Sam Hurt grounded hard to second, which was turned into a nifty double play by Colin DeBoer (Waupun) to Evan Deegan (Edgerton) to Donnie Manke (Lodi) for two outs. River Falls’ Alex Call grounded out to DeBoer at second to end the inning.
The West sent Onalaska’s Dustin Gordon to the mound. Gordon, a 1st Team All-Mississippi Valley pick, was tasked with giving the South its first loss of the tournament. He got DeBoer to ground out to Hurt at short for the first out and then got the second out by inducing Deegan to ground out to Marshfield’s Bo Howard at third. Manke stayed hot at the plate by lining a single to centerfield. Any damage was averted when Reedsburg’s Seth Douglas grounded out to short.
Howard grounded out to short to start the second. Gordon grounded out weakly to DeBoer and DC Everest’s Josh Nielsen flew out to deep left for a quick half-inning.
Waupun’s Jordan Daane lined the first pitch he saw up the middle for a single. Buss drew a walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. Sun Prairie’s Zach Fairchild struck out on a high tight fastball for the first out. Madison West’s Alex Brown fouled out to Nielsen at first. Milton’s Adam Catacutan drew a walk to load the bases. DeBoer, batting at the top of the lineup had a chance to make it hurt but flew out to left to leave the loaded and the game scoreless.
Durham grounded out to short to start the third inning. Greenwood’s Westin Wuethrich flew out to right field, and Elk Mound’s Garett Phillips grounded out to short for yet another quick inning as Buss was on cruise control.
Deegan struck out on a Gordon curve ball to being the bottom of the third and then got Manke looking on a big sweeping curve that froze him up. Douglas grounded out weakly to Howard at third for the third out.
Zelhofer, who had the only hit off Buss the first time through the lineup, was looking to spark a West rally in the fourth. He however grounded out on an outside fastball to Deegan at short. Hurt got the second hit of the game for the West by slicing a line drive down the right field line. Call fought an inside fastball off for a base hit into left. The West attempted a double steal, but Fennimore’s catcher, Ian Stretter cut down Hurt at third with a perfect throw. Howard took strike three looking to end the West threat.
Madison Edgewood’s Paul Mutch entered the game and led off the fourth by taking three sharp curveballs from Gordon for strikes. Mount Horeb’s Kale Pustina, who was going to take the mound in relief of Buss, drew a walk. Streeter hit into a fielder’s choice, with Pustina getting thrown out at second on a nice play by Hurt. Hurt then made another great play on a slow grounder to get Sun Prairie’s Brett Yoder.
Ellsworth’s James Georgakas, coming into pitch for the West, was the first to face Pustina. He drew a five pitch walk to start the inning. Turtle Lake-Clayton’s Kyle Larson battled back from a 0-2 count to draw a walk putting two on. With Bruce’s Mitch Johnson batting, Pustina spiked a fast ball allowing both runners to move into scoring position. Johnson got hit with an inside curve ball to load the bases with no outs. Pustina’s struggles continued as Amery’s Jake Mullendore also drew a walk, plating Georgakas. More misery followed as Pustina hit another hitter, this time Phillips, with a curve ball, forcing in Larson from third. Pustina, who appeared to have a sore elbow, was then replaced by Mutch who inherited the bases loaded with no outs.
Hudson’s Austin Evenson lined a single to right, knocking in one more. Osseo-Farichild’s Sam Waters, suffering from a bad hip, was unable to beat out a 1-2-3 double play. There were no two outs with two runners still in scoring position. Antigo’s Justen Wegter still had a chance to break the game open but he swung at low curve ball and struck out. The West scored three times, but considering they walked three times, had two batters plunked, and one base hit, it could have been a lot worse for the South.
Georgakas took the mound with a three run lead. Green Lake-Princeton’s Noah Polcyn drew a full count walk to start the potential comeback. Columbus’ Taylor Jansen took a big curve ball for strike three. Waunakee’s Willie Freimuth drew a walk to bring the potential tying run to the plate in River Valley’s Alex Spurley. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Spurley grounded out to Howard at first, but Polcyn was able to score from third. Lavery reached on a throwing error by 3B Mullendore and took second as the ball went to the fence. Freimuth scored on the play to make it 3-2. Mutch drew a full count walk, and went the curve ball bounced in front of Johnson, Lavery was able to take third, putting runners on the corners with two outs. Pustina struck out on a curve, allowing the West to hold on to the slimmest of margins.
Taylor Jansen became the South’s fourth pitcher of the game as he took the hill to start the sixth inning. Howard drew a walk to start the frame and took second on a wild pitch, with Georgakas batting. Jansen rallied to strikeout Georgakas swinging. Jansen, throwing a steady diet of curve balls to both lefties, struck out Larson for the inning’s second out. Johnson drew a full count walk to put runners on first and second. Mullendore delivered with a clutch single to left, scoring Howard, moving Johnson to third, and taking second on the throw. Call flew out to center field to end the threat.
Streeter reached on an infield single to start the bottom of the sixth, but was promptly picked off first by Georgakas when he wandered too far off first. Yoder struck out swinging for the second out. Freimuth grounded out to end the inning.
Evenson led off the seventh with a walk. Waite grounded into a fielder’s choice, with Evenson getting thrown out at second by Mutch at third. Wegter hit an inside fastball to centerfield, moving Waite to second. Howard struck out looking for the second out and Georgakas grounded out to end the inning.
Spurley led off the bottom of the seventh hit the first pitch he saw and flared out to RF. Lavery laced a single to right with one out to keep hope alive. Call, playing centerfield, made a terrific running grab on a deep liner to centerfield off the bat of Mutch for the second out. Georgakas struck out Pustina looking to end the game. Both the South All Stars and West All Stars finished the tournament with 2-1 records.
WEST 000 031 0 4 6 1
SOUTH 000 020 0 2 4 0
WEST
Zelhofer 2B 2010
Evenson 2B 1011 BB
Hurt SS 2010
Waters PH 1000
Waite SS 1000
Call CF 3010 SB
Wegter 2010 K
Howard 3B 3000 2K, BB
Gordon P 1000
Georgakas P 0100 BB
Nielsen 1B 1000
Larson 1B 0100 BB
Durham C 1000
Johnson C 0100 HBP
Wuethrich RF 1000
Mullendore RF 0001 BB
Phillips LF 1001 HBP
SOUTH
DeBoer 2B 2000
Jansen 2B, P 1000 K
Deegan SS 2000
Freimuth SS 1000 BB
Manke 1B 2010 K
Spurley 1B 1001
Douglas CF 2000
Lavery CF 1000
Daane 3B 1010
Mutch 3B, P 2000 K
Buss P 0000 BB
Pustina P, 3B, 2B 2000 BB, 2K
Fairchild C 1000 K
Streeter C 1000
Brown RF 1000
Yoder RF 1000
Catacutan LF 0000 BB
Polcyn LF 0100 2BB
Gordon W 4IP, 0R, 0ER, 2H, 3BB, 4K
Georgakas S 3IP, 2R, 2ER, 2H, 4BB, 3K
Buss 4IP, 0R, 0ER, 3H, 0BB, 1K
Pustina L 0IP, 3R, 3ER, 0H, 3BB, 0K
Mutch 1IP, 0R, 0ER, 0H, 0BB, 1K
Jansen 2IP, 1R, 1ER, 2H, 3BB, 3K
UMPIRES: Don Bates, Sam King, Mike Pfeil, Ron Quirk.
Time of Game: 1:41
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