Wausau takes control in Class AAA tourney
Bulldogs move into championship game with win over DCE; Point eliminates Plover
Wausau takes control in Class AAA tourney Bulldogs move into championship game with win over DCE; Point eliminates Plover Check out this story on wausaudailyherald.com: http://wdhne.ws/2acATc3
Tim Johnson, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Published 10:42 p.m. CT July 20, 2016 | Updated 11:04 p.m. CT July 20, 2016
Wausau's Grant Hill (15) outs D.C Everest's Nathaniel Jagodzinski at second base during the American Legion Regionals, region 2, July 20, 2016.(Photo: Jacob Byk/USA TODAY NETWORK - Wisconsin)
MARSHFIELD - The Bulldogs are closing in on being the top dog at Jack Hackman Field this week.
The Wausau American Legion baseball team downed D.C. Everest 10-2 Wednesday and is the lone undefeated team through two days of the Class AAA Region 2 tournament.
Wausau advanced to Friday's championship game and will await their opponent. Marshfield, Stevens Point and D.C. Everest all have a loss and will play Thursday in the double-elimination tournament.
"We are in as good a position as we can be. Someone is going to have to beat us twice and we have a day off now," Wausau coach Tom Magnuson said.
Wausau is seeking its first regional championship since 2011 and fourth in the past eight years. The Class AAA state tournament is in Marshfield this year with play beginning Tuesday.
Wausau can also clinch a trip to the state tournament if Marshfield wins twice Thursday. As the host program, Marshfield has clinched an automatic berth, and Wausau would finish no worse than second in the regional.
If Marshfield wins the regional title, the runner-up would earn a trip to state as well.
Payton Nelson had four of Wausau's 17 hits.
"It feels good," Nelson said. "We're going to cheer for Marshfield (Thursday) because we would clinch (the state berth). But for sure we want to take (the regional) too."
Everest faces either Marshfield or Stevens Point at 7 p.m.
Nelson led the game off with a double and the first four Wausau batters reached base safely as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 2-0 lead.
Wausau added a run in the second and three in the third to give an early cushion for Bulldogs starting pitcher Garrett Hohn.
Hohn allowed the singles to the first two Everest batters he faced to open the game, but allowed one hit and five more baserunners over the next five innings as Wausau built a 10-0 lead.
Hohn left the game after the first three Everest batters reached base to open the seventh, including consecutive walks to end his outing.
Zach Pearson and Nelson closed out the win for the Bulldogs.
"Garrett Hohn shut (Everest) down early and gave us a chance to build a big lead. Our offense has really been hitting the last couple of weeks," Magnuson said. "When (Hohn) gets into trouble, it's because he is missing (the strike zone) and walking guys. I think when he needed to (tonight) he took something off his pitches and didn't throw it through the backstop. Sometimes he has the tendency to try and strike everyone out. Sometimes he just needs to use his defense. Tonight I think he took something off his pitches, hit some spots and got balls in play."
WP-Garrett Hohn. LP-John Breske. 2B-W, Payton Nelson
Stevens Point 9,
Plover 5
The Sixers remained alive in the tournament behind their best offensive performance of the year.
Nathan Olds went 3-for-4 and Joe Strigel reached base four times as Stevens Point had a season-high 17 hits in an elimination game.
Stevens Point faces Marshfield at 4 p.m. Thursday after falling to the Blue Devils 15-3 in the opening game of the tournament Tuesday.
Plover, which had won the previous four regional titles, was eliminated. Derek Baumgartner went 3-for-5 to lead the Black Sox, who finished with 10 hits.
The teams split a pair of games during the Wisconsin Valley Legion League regular season.
"It was a gut check for us today. We didn't want (the season) to end," said Strigel, who had a two-RBI double in the Sixers' three-run ninth inning.
Point scored at least a run in each of the final six innings. The Sixers had five sacrifice bunts, two of which scored runs.
"We have guys with speed and we kept putting the pressure on (Plover)," Point coach Jason Rieck said. "Maybe sometimes I bunt too much, but it worked in our favor today."
The Sixers got a bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning to snap a 4-4 tie and then added a run in the eighth off a bunt as Strigel beat the relay home from first.
Baumgartner had a two-out single in the eighth to bring the Black Sox within a run, and Johl Turzinski followed with a hit to center.
Grant Roth tried to score from second on the play and was thrown out at home by Point's Gus Turner-Zick to end the inning.
Plover
WP- Jacob Piotrowski. LP- Jamison Kryshak. 2B-SP, Zach Ksicinski, Gus Turner-Zick, Joe Strigel; P, Derek Baumgartner. 3B-Matt McHugh.