Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association

GAME 6: EASTA 9, NORTH 2

De Pere’s Axel Donaldson took the mound for the North in the final game of the 40th WBCA All-Star Classic, to be opposed by the East’s Sam Mommer from Saint Thomas More High School in Milwaukee.  Donaldson allowed a lead off walk to Kettle Moraine’s JJ Wolbert and allowed him to reach 2nd on a wild pitch with Arrowhead’s Issei Takahashi batting.  He got Takahashi on a high fastball.  Oak Creek’s CJ Trask, who was in the running for Tournament MVP with terrific performances in his first two games.  He took a full count walk.  Cedarburg’s Sam Moses flew out to deep center, allowing Wolbert to scamper to third.  Waukesha North’s AJ Curtis struck out looking on a big hook to end the inning.  Donaldson followed up his scoreless inning on the mound with a hard base hit to right to lead off the bottom of the 1st.  Kiel’s Eyan Dessellier struck out.  Wrightstown’s Quade Thoompson flew out to end the inning, and Neenah’s AJ Price grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning.

Mommer led off the 2nd inning by fouling out to Xavier’s Parker Bleck at 1st.  Union Grove’s Marshall Loch took a slider for strike three.  Lake Country Lutheran catcher Gavin Schieffer was thrown out first on a diving stab by the shortstop, Wittenburg-Birnamwood’s Ian Salvesen, who scrambled up and just threw him out.  Menasha’s Ian Dohms led off for the North in the bottom of the 2nd who popped out to 1st.  Next was Oakfield’s Hunter Sabel, who struck out looking, followed by Salvesen who struck out on pure gas from Mommer for the third out.

Union Grove’s Landon Dessart led off the third.  He chopped a grounder to Dessallier who lost the ball in the sun coming down to allow Dessart to reach.  Wolbert followed that with a hard single to left.  Takahashi laid down a perfect bunt to load the bases.  Trask lined a single to center, knocking in two runs.  Moses walked to reload the bases.  Still with no outs, Curtis hit it hard back up the middle.  Donaldson knocked it down and got the force out at home.  Mommer hit a shallow fly to score Trask on the sac fly.  Loch popped out to 2nd on the next pitch, to keep the damage to three runs.  Shiocton’s James Mutchie grounded out to Trask at 2nd base who made a nice play to throw him out.  Bleck grounded out to 1st.  Donaldson struck out swinging to end the inning.

Donaldson’s high school teammate, Easton Arendt, took over the pitching duties for the North who struck out Schieffer to start the 4th inning.  He struck out Dessart and got Wolbert to ground out to 3rd.  Mommer, who hadn’t given up a base runner since Donaldson’s lead off single, allowed a hard line drive hit to left by Price with two outs.  Arendt followed that up with a hard single to right.  Lomira’s Josh Steger lined a single to left to load the bases.  Ashwaubenon’s Eason Hurd  fouled out to the catcher Schieffer who made a nice catch on a ball heading back into play.

Homestead’s Jackson Brewer led off the fifth by popping out to third.  Nicolet’s Nolan Sandee beat out an infield single.  Jefferson’s Aidan Kammer chopped out to 2nd, with Sandee moving to 2B.  He advanced to third on a wild pitch with West Bend East’s Mason Roell batting. Roell took a cut fastball for strike three to end the inning.  Badger’s Sam Polyock came on in relief of Mommer.  Charlie Vanden Burgt from Little Chute greeted him with a long double to the track.  Freedom’s Carson Clausen fouled out to Roell at third who fought the sun on a long run, taking the ball off his chest and trapping it with his glove for the out.  Donaldson flew out to deep left for the 2nd out.  Wausaukee’s Connor Schroeder singled hard to left, driving in Vanden Burgt.  Green Bay Notre Dame’s Brady LaViollette hammered a single to left.  Schroeder was unable to score, leaving the bases loaded and bringing Appleton West’s Ryder Hoffman to the plate.  He struck out on a hook from Polyock to keep the East ahead 3-1.

Polyock led off for the East to start the sixth inning. He struck out looking.  Loch reached on a smash down the third base line that was stabbed by Schroeder.  He threw wide of first on a play that was ruled a hit and an error when Loch reached 2nd.  While Nate Hanel (Oak Creek) was batting LaViollette catching allowed a passed ball as Loch took third.  Hanel walked, putting  runners on the corners with one out.  Dessart chopped a grounder up the middle.  Hanel was forced out at 2nd as Dessart reached on an RBI-fielder’s choice. Wolbert got his 2nd base hit of the game with hard single to right.  Dessart, after he reached 2nd on a wild pitched, was gunned down at the plate on a laser strike from Donaldson, now playing right field.  Arendt popped out to short for the first out in the bottom of sixth.  Polyock struck out Lomira’s Josh Steger on a curve ball.  Hurd doubled into the right-center field gap for a double.  Vanden Burgt popped out to Kammer at 1st base to end the inning.

Sandee got hit by a pitch with one out to start the 7th.  He scored on the next pitch when Kammer slammed a double to center.  Roell drew a walk.  Polyock lined a single down the right field line, plateing another run, and putting runners on the corners.  Loch doubled down the left field line, driving in another run.  Hanel lined out to deep center, easily scoring Polyock.  Dessart followed that with a single.  Salvesen grounded out to 2nd to end the inning.  In the bottom of the 7th, Clausen lined out 

hard to 2nd, Donaldson popped out to 1st, and Schroeder doubled to center for his 2nd hit.  LaViollette kept hope alive with a one hop double to center.  Hoffman walked. The North kept battling.  Arendt flew out to center to end the game.  Mommer got the win for the East who went undefeated, with Polyock getting the save.  Donaldson took the loss for the North.  The North ended the tournament 1-2.

Leading Hitters

• JJ Wolbert (Kettle Moraine) 2x2
• Issei Takahashi (Arrowhead) 1x1
• CJ Trask (Oak Creek) 1x1 (2-rbi single)
• Nolan Sandee (Nicolet) 1x1
• Marshall Loch (Union Grove) 2x4 (2B, RBI)
• Aidan Kammer (Jefferson) 1x2 (rbi double)
• Sam Polyock (Badger) 1x2 (rbi single)
• Landon Dessart (Union Grove) 1x4 (rbi single)
• Axel Donaldson (De Pere) 1x1
• AJ Price (Neenah) 1x2
• Easton Arendt (De Pere) 1x1
• Connor Schroeder (Wausaukee) 2x2 (rbi single, double)
• Brady LaViollette (Notre Dame) 2x2 (rbi double)
• Josh Steger (Lomira) 1x2
• Charlie Vanden Burgt (Little Chute) 1x1 (2B)
• Eason Hurd (Ashwaubenon) 1x2 (2B)

 

GAME 5: WEST 6, SOUTH 1

Cambridge’s Carter Lund took the hill for the South as they sought their first win in the Tournament.  Opposing him for the West was DC Everest’s Nate Langbehn. Jirschelle got hit by a pitch.  Hudson’s Hunter Carlson grounded to 2nd, but both the speedy Jirschele and Carlson beat the throws and were safe.  The two later executed a double steal putting them on 2nd and 3rd.  Lund was able to strike out Altoona’s Trent Cornell for the first out.  Eau Claire Memorial’s Leo Lauscher flied to short center with both runners holding.  Aquina’s Eddie Peters, who homered twice in the previous game, came up with two outs.  Lund got him out front and induced a fly out to centerfield to keep the game scoreless.  Pecatonica’s Tyler McKeon was thrown out on a spectacular play by Jirschele at shortstop, who threw him out from deep in the hole.   Monona Grove’s Nick Guiduci struck out.  Portage’s Keagan Hooker, who had two base knocks in Game 3 this morning, grounded out to 2nd.

Langbehn led off the 2nd with an infield single.  The next pitch Abbotsford-Colby’s JV Castillo right on his back jersey number putting runners on 1st and 2nd.  Eau Claire North’s Chase Watkins grounded to short and reached on a fielder’s choice, with Castillo being forced out at 2nd and putting runners on the corners.  Bradyn Bezanson, from Hudson and who had just picked up the pitching save in Game 4, drew a full count walk to load them up.  Jirschele lined hard to left but Langbehn had wandered down the line and failed to tag, leaving them loaded with two outs.  Hunter Carlson, Hudson’s Big Rivers Conference Player of the Year, grounded out to 2nd, with the West squandering a chance to score a run.  Verona’s Nate Novinska swung and missed at a full count curve ball for the first out of the home 2nd inning.  Lund  singled up the middle.  Verona’s Jack Detienne lined out to center, and Green Lake’s Maddux Poock grounded out up the middle for the final out of the inning.

Lund retired all three hitters he faced in the top of the third.  Langbehn retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the third, but surrendered a walk to McKeon and a single up the middle to Guiduci to put runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs.  Hooker struck out on a curve ball in the dirt but reached on a wild pitch to load the bases.  Novinska flew to the gap but the ball, which was pushing out in the wind, was run down by Peters playing center field for the third out.  

Madison Memorial’s Cashton Jones came in to pitch for the South in the top of the fourth.  Stevens Point’s Noah Marschke reached on an error by shortstop Tyler McKeon with two outs and got to 2nd on the overthrow, but Jones got Hudson’s Bradyn Bezanson to ground out to end the inning.  Prescott lefty Cullen Huppert took the mound in to the bottom of the fourth.  Green Lake’s Maddux Poock laid a barrel on the ball and poked a base hit to left.  Oregon’s Brock Buskaager drew a walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd.  Janesville Craig’s Charlie Claas poked a soft single to right, scoring Poock, with both runners moving up a base on a throw that got by the catcher.  Lake Mill’s Brody Henderson struck out to end the inning with the South on top, 1-0.

Jirschele hit a grounder to short but the speedy shortstop beat the throw to the bag for an infield single.  River Falls catcher Quade McQuade slapped a single to left.  Jirschele gambled and reached third ahead of the throw.  The ball bounded away allowing McQuade to reach 2nd still with nobody out. Hraby drew a walk to load the bases.  Rice Lake’s Easton Stone took a curve ball right in the ear to drive in a run and tie the game.  The dangerous Peters struck out looking.  With Huppert batting, a wild pitch on a 2-2 count gave the West the lead, with McQuade scoring.  Huppert struck out, leaving runners on 2nd and 3rd with two outs.  Groothousen flied to deep left for the third out.  It could have been a lot worse for the South.  Pecatonica’s Jameson Johnson singled hard up the middle to lead off the bottom of the fifth.  Cotter hit a high chopper back to the mound and was thrown out at first, with Johnson reaching 2nd.  Roder and Jones struck out to end the inning and leave the West ahead by one after five complete.

With one out, Bezanson drew a four pitch walk.  Ahlberg, from Solon Springs in top northwest corner of the state, also drew a walk.  McQuade hit the first pitch he saw over the left field fence for his 2nd homer of the day and added three runs to the West lead.  Stone added to the pain by driving a ball onto the street behind the leftfield fence in the next at bat.  Peters knocked Jones out of the game when he one hopped the fence with a double to left.   Johnson came in from centerfield to assume the pitching duties.  He got Huppert to fly out to right to end the inning.  Janesville Craig’s Drayton Lou snuck a liner inside the left field line for a lead off base hit in the bottom of the sixth.  Stone made a nice leaping stab on a liner off the bat of Ithaca’s Micah Salisbury and almost doubled up Lou at 1st.  Sun Prairie East’s John Hadley grounded hard to 1st to Marschke, who gloved the ball and threw to 2nd for the tag out double play.

Marschke beat out a chopped ball to 2nd base for a leadoff infield single.  Bezanson flew out to left.  Ahlberg popped out to end the inning.  

Mauston’s Brock Massey grounded out hard to Peters at shortstop for the first out. Henderson singled to right and took second on a ball missplayed by Ahlberg in right.Johnson grounded out to Hraby at 2nd for the 2nd out, with Henderson reaching third,  Cottter grounded out on a nice play to Hraby to 2nd to end the game.

Huppert picked up the victory, with Team West ending with a 2-1 record.  Cashton Jones took the loss for the South.  Team South ended the tourney at 0-3.

Leading Hitters

• Nate Langbehn (DC Everest) 1x1
• Keagan Jirschele (Mosinee) 1x2
• Chase McQuade (River Falls) 2x2 (HR, 3RBI)
• Easton Stone (Rice Lake) 1x1 (HR, 2rbi)
• Eddie Peters (Aquinas) 1x4 (2B)
• Noah Marschke (Stevens Point) 1x3
•  
• Carter Lund (Cambridge) 1X1
• Nick Guiduci (Monona Grove) 1x2
• Maddux Poock (Green Lake) 1x2
• Jameson Johnson (Pecatonica) 1x1
• Drayton Lou (Janesville Craig) 1x1

 

GAME 4: WEST 7, NORTH 2

Menasha’s Ian Dohms took the pitching duties to begin Game 4 of the All-Star Classic  He would be opposed by Team West’s Easton Bobb.

Dohms had little trouble in the 1st, surviving a base given up by hitting Rice Lake’s Easton Stone in the shoulder with a curve ball with two outs.  He was the only runner to reach.

Bobb, a lefty with a whippey, three-quarter delivery, got the first two hitters out but issued a two consecutive two out walks to Wausaukee’s Connor Schroeder and Ashwaubenon’s Eason Hurd.  Those walks haunted him as his mound-opponent, Dohms, lined a hard single to left scoring Schroeder who slid in safely at home just in front of the tag.  Hurd took third on the play.  He avoided further damage when he srtruck out Freedom’s Carson Clausen lookiing on a big hook.

Solon Spring’s Abe Ahlberg smoked a line drive to center that was missplayed by Appleton West’s Ryder Hoffman.  Ahlberg was able to come in standing to second.  He was advanced to third on a ground ball to second by DC Everest’s Nate Langbehn.  Flambeau’s Giles Groothousen induced a full count walk from Dohms, putting runners on the corners.  Dohm’s tried to pick off Groothousen at first, but threw up the line, allowing Ahlberg to score.  Groothousen was struck down at third on a missle-strike from Clausen as he slid into the bag.  Prescott’s Cullen Huppert reached on a throwing error by third baseman Charlie Vanden Burgt, from Little Chute, advancing to second on the play.  Stevens Point’s Noah Marsche hit a hard one-hopper right back up the middle that Dohms was able to deflect to himself with his glove behind his back and finished the play by flipping to Clausen at 1st.

De Pere’s Axel Donaldson lined hard to left to lead off the home half of the 2nd inning.  Notre Dame’s Brady LaViollette, who homered yesterday, came to the plate.  Bobb won the battle and got him to ground out weakly to 1st.  Donaldson was able to get to second on the play.  Lomira’s Josh Steger grounded out to Aquina’s Eddie Petrers at short and Vanden Burgt popped out to Rice Lake’s Easton Stone at third to end the inning.

With one out in the top of the 2nd, Peters hit a towering home run to left field to give the West a 2-1 lead.  Stone lined the next pitch to right for a solid single.  River Falls catcher Chase McQuade followed that up with another towering bomb to left to give the West a 4-1 lead.  Dohms walked Hurd, still with two outs.  He got Groothousen to pop out to short to end the inning.

Huppert took a curve ball off the leg from Little Chute’s Charlie Vanden Burgt, who came in relief of Dohms, to lead off the top of the fourth.  Huppert took second on a wild  pitch.  Medford’s Tanner Hraby drew a one out walk to put runners on first and second with Peters coming to the plate: and he did it again.  Even though he got the inside pitch a bit off his hands, he had enough pop to drive out of the park for his fourth RBIs of the game. Vanden Burgt was able to strikeout Stone and get McQuade to foul out to keep the score 7-1.

Kiel’s Eyan Dessellier got hit on the hip from Bobb, who came into pitch for a fourth inning, to start the inning.  Dessellier reached 2nd on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a flare into short center by Donaldson to put runners on the corners.  Bobb got Quade Thompson (Wrightstown) to pop out to Ahlberg at 2nd.  Steger came to the plate with two outs and grounded out to Ahlberg at 2nd to end the inning.

Bradyn Bezanson from Hudson took over the pitching duties for the West.  He struck out the first two hitters and got a ground out for a runnerless inning.

Chase Watkins (Eau Claire North) hit a chopper to short that was misplayed by Wittenburg-Birnamwood’s Ian Salvesen to reach on the error.  Altoona’s Trent Cornell hit into a fielder’s choice to reach 1st with Watkins forced out at 2nd.  Hraby was thrown out by Vanden Burgt who pounced off the mound and made a nice play.  Mosinee’s Keagan Jirschele grounded hard up the hole but Salvesen made a nice diving catch to prevent a run from scoring, with Jirschele reaching on the infield single and moving Cornell to third base.  Vanden Burgt got Lauscher to fly out to short right to end the inning with no runs scored.

Salvesen drew a walk to start the bottom of the sixth.  Dessellier hit the next pitch into center for a base hit.  Xavier’s Parker Bleck grounded to 1st, allowing each runner to advance.  De Pere’s Easton Arendt flew to center with both runners tagging.  Salvesen scored with the throw being cut off by shortstop Jirschele who threw to third to cut down Dessellier to end the inning.

Salvesen made another diving stop at short and threw Carlson out at 1st to start the inning.  Ahlberg flew out to center.  Bezanson flew out to left for a 123 inning.

Thompson flew out to deep left to Abbotsford-Colby’s JV Castillo for the first out in the bottom of the seventh.  Oakfield’s Hunter Sabel struck out swinging.  Vanden Burgt  reached on an error by Hraby at 2nd.   No damage done as Bezanson got Neenah’s AJ Price to fly out to center to save the win for Easton Bob.  Dohms took the loss.  Both teams are 1-1 in the tournament.

GAME 3: East 3, South 1

Ben Moser, Sussex Hamilton’s big righty, took the hill for the East in Game 3 of the Classic.  He was opposed by Janesville Craig’s Drayton Lou who took the mound for the South.  The South drew a no-out walk by Wausaukee’s Danny Cotter, who would take 2nd on a wild pitch.  Moser settled down, retiring the next three batters in order, one via the strikeout  

The East drew first blood in the bottom of the 1st when Nicolet’s Nolan Sandee drew a lead off walk, and got to second when Jefferson’s Aidan Kammer grounded to short.  The flip was wide of the bag on a play that was scored a fielder’s choice and an error.  Sandee scampered to third on a flyball hit to center by West Bend East’s Mason Roell.  Sandee would score when Kammer appeared to be out at 2nd on a steal, but the ball was dropped, allowing Sandee to score.  The inning ended with no further damage after a strikeout, a walk, and a ground out to second.

Both pitchers cruised through the 2nd inning unscathed.  

Moser set the South down in order in the top of the 3rd.  Roell hit a hard double to left center with one out in the home half of the 3rd.  He got to third on a two-out infield single by Waukesha North’s AJ Curtis.  Verona’s Jack Detienne made a diving stop in the hole from his 2nd base position to prevent Roell from scoring.  Roell would score anyway on an errant pickoff throw by Lou.  Lou then punched out Union Grove’s Landon Dessart to get out of the inning with one run surrendered.

Verona catcher Nate Novinska led off the 4th with a bloop single to center followed by a hard line drive single to right field by Portage’s Keagan Hooker.  After a Tyler McKeon (Pecatonica) pop out, Moser surrendered his second pooter of the inning, this time a soft flyball that fell in short right field by Janesville Craig’s Charlie Claas.  Lou struck out for the 2nd out, bring Sun Prairie East’s John Hadley to the plate with the bases loaded.  He would have cleared the bases but was robbed in rightfield by Badger’s Sam Polyock, who laid out running full-bore toward the right field line and stuck the ball iin his glove just before it hit the wet sod.

Lou cruised through a 123 inning in the top of the fourth.  Curtis took over in relief of Moser and gave up a two-out walk that prooved harmless.  Oregon’s Brock Buskager took over pitching duties for the South and was greeted rudley by Oak Creek’s CJ Trask, who double off the fence in leftfield.  He scored on a hard single by Kettle Moraine’s JJ Wolbert.  Wolbert was gunned down by Novinska trying to steal 2nd.  Cedarburg’s Sam Moses singled hard to CF with two outs.

The South would get on the board in the sixth when Hooker led off with another hard single.  He stole 2nd and advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch. McKeon inticed a walk and then ran a double-steal in which he paused before getting to 2nd.  This discombobulated the East defenders and Hooker was able to trot in.  Curtis was able to retire the next three hitters in order.  Ben Moser got the win with AJ Curtis earning the save,.  Drayton Lou took the loss for the South.

Neither team threatened in the 7th and the East was able to walk away with their second victory of the tournament.  They’ll shoot for a sweep in Game 6 vs Team North, while the South will look to get their first win in Game 5 aginst Team West.