SPASH, Almond-Bancroft baseball teams fall at Sectionals
Portage County Gazette
By John Kemmeter
The fifth-ranked Stevens Point Area Senior High School (SPASH) and Almond-Bancroft High School baseball teams both had their postseason runs come to an end in Sectionals Tuesday, June 4.
The top-seeded Panthers (20-5) fell behind fourth-seeded Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln 5-1 in the third inning and were unable to come all the way back, as they lost 6-4 in a WIAA Division 1 Sectional Semifinal at Carson Park in Eau Claire Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, second-seeded Almond (13-8) lost 13-0 in five innings to fourth-ranked and top-seeded Living Word Lutheran (21-3) in a WIAA Division 4 Sectional Semifinal at Johnson Creek Tuesday morning.
Wisconsin Rapids 6, SPASH 4
Needing a pair of wins Tuesday to advance to state for the first time since 2014, SPASH opened against Rapids in the Sectional Semifinals, after the Panthers beat Rapids 10-6 April 16 and 7-0 April 26 during the regular season.
Rapids led off the game with back-to-back singles off SPASH senior pitcher J.D. Schultz, and followed with a RBI single and a sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead.
Senior second baseman Justin Morton had a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second inning off Rapids senior pitcher and Wisconsin Valley Conference Player of the Year Donovan Brandl to score senior right fielder Mason King and make it 2-1, but Rapids scored on an error, a RBI triple and a passed ball in the top of the third to extend its lead to 5-1.
The Panthers battled back in the bottom of the fourth inning, as senior shortstop Brett Ehr had a two-run single with two outs, and senior first baseman Jack Kelly followed with a RBI single to bring the team within 5-4.
SPASH senior pitcher Reese Gaber threw three shutout innings of relief, before Rapids led off the top of the seventh with a walk and a RBI triple to go up 6-4, while sophomore pitcher Logan Schulfer came on to record the final three outs of the seventh and leave the runner stranded at third.
In the bottom of the seventh, King had a one-out single and junior designated hitter Dayne Hoyord drew a walk to put the tying run on first base with one out, but Rapids got a strikeout and a pop out to first base to advance to the Sectional Final with a 6-4 win.
Hoyord went 2-for-3 with a double, and Ehr had a double and two RBI to lead a seven-hit attack for SPASH. Schultz took the loss after he allowed four earned runs on five hits, struck out one and walked one in three innings; while Gaber walked four, struck out two and allowed one earned run on one hit in three innings; and Schulfer struck out one, walked one and didn’t allow a hit in the top of the seventh.
Living Word Lutheran 13, Almond-Bancroft 0
Living Word scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead, then scored six runs in the second, four in the third and one in the fourth to go up 13-0.
Senior Cade Lamb had a single in the top of the fourth inning for the Eagles’ only hit, while Almond had four errors in the loss.
Sophomore Danny Baumgartner took the loss after he allowed six earned runs on five hits, walked two and struck out none in one inning. Sophomore Thomas Hunt didn’t allow an earned run on three hits, struck out four and walked one in two innings, and Lamb allowed one earned run on one hit, struck out one and walked two in the fourth.