Portage County Gazette

By John Kemmeter

The Junior American Legion Baseball 17 and Under State Tournament will be held at Memorial Park in Plover this weekend.

Plover (25-10) will be one of eight teams in the tournament, which is scheduled to take place Friday through Tuesday, July 20-24.

“Any time we can host a State Tournament, it’s an honor,” said Plover Black Sox president Craig Sankey. “It’s a great opportunity to show off not only our facility at Memorial Park and our second-to-none concession stand, but the community and all the great things to do in the Plover area.

“Our organization has been preparing since January, and we are very excited to host the best 17U teams in the state to play some great baseball,” he said.

As the host team, the Junior Black Sox received an automatic bid to the State Tournament, where they will open against Lake Geneva (17-8) at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Stevens Point Junior Sixers (13-7-1) came up just short of advancing to state, as they fell 3-2 in nine innings to Marshfield (21-14) in the Region 2 Championship Game in Wausau Monday, July 16, on a two-out, walk-off single to center field that scored a runner from second base.

The double-elimination State Tournament is set to begin at 10 a.m. Friday, with Marshfield taking on Manitowoc (19-7).

Other first-round matchups Friday include East Troy (13-10) against West De Pere (20-6-1) at 1 p.m., and Eau Claire (22-4) squaring off with Oshkosh (18-5) at 4 p.m.

The winner of Plover’s game Friday night will play either East Troy or West De Pere Saturday, July 21, at 7 p.m., with the loser to play in an elimination game at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The State Championship is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday, with a second game at 8 p.m. if necessary.

“There are eight great teams that will be playing this weekend,” said Sankey. “There are four teams that have 20- plus wins on the season.

“The Junior programs are what build the Senior programs for each team,” he said. “With that being said, it looks that these eight programs will be strong for a couple of years moving to the Senior programs.”

Team members for the Plover Junior Black Sox are Dan Baumgartner, Jared Garski, Logan Gessert, Ryan Gidlund, Thomas Hunt, Sterling Lutz, Jared Mountin, Connor Mrozek, Jake Sankey, Riley Sankey, Kaden Mazur, Bryce Pelky, Elliot Schmoll, Logan Schulfer, Kenny Schultz, Brandon Vlcko and Cyle Zblewski.

The 2018 Plover Junior Black Sox will open the State Tournament against Lake Geneva at 7 p.m. Friday, July 20, at Memorial Park in Plover. (Patty Gregorich photo)

“We have played three of the seven other teams that will be playing this weekend, so there is a little familiarity,” said Craig Sankey. “The coaches, Nick Lilienthal and Jeff Sadlemyer, have worked hard in getting the boys ready for this weekend.

“Just like any tournament, pitching and great defense will be the key to getting deep into the weekend,” he said. “I know the team and the community is excited to see how far the team can go this weekend.”

Junior Legion 17 and Under State Tournament

Friday, July 20

Game 1: Marshfield (21-14) vs. Manitowoc (19-7), 10 a.m.

Game 2: East Troy (13-10) vs. West De Pere (20-6-1), 1 p.m.

Game 3: Eau Claire (22-4) vs. Oshkosh (18-5), 4 p.m.

Game 4: Lake Geneva (17-8) vs. Plover (25-10), 7 p.m.

Saturday, July 21

Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3, 10 a.m.

Game 6: Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 4, 1 p.m.

Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3, 4 p.m.

Game 8: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4, 7 p.m.

Sunday, July 22

Game 9: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 11 a.m.

Game 10: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, 2 p.m.

Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 5 p.m.

Monday, July 23 (Note: Common Opponent Rule Could Be in Effect)

* Pairings for Game 12 and Game 13 will not match previous opponents against each other unless absolutely necessary.

Game 12: Winner Game 9 vs. Loser Game 11, 5 p.m.

Game 13: Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 11, 8 p.m.

Tuesday, July 24

* If three teams remain after Game 13, Winner Game 11 automatically draws the bye in Game 14.

Game 14: Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 13, 5 p.m.

Game 15: If Winner Game 11 loses Game 13 or Winner Game 12 wins Game 14, 8 p.m.