Jack Kelly, Vinnie Fonti, Kaden Roberts and Mason King react following the final out in the Plover Black Sox’ 11-9 loss to the Stevens Point Sixers in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Monday, July 22. (John Kemmeter photo)

Portage County Gazette

By John Kemmeter

After starting 2-0 at the AAA Region 2 Regional Tournament, the Plover Black Sox American Legion Baseball team had its season come to an end with a pair of losses Monday, July 22.

With a berth in the Championship of the Regional Tournament on the line, the Black Sox (29-13) fell 5-4 to Wisconsin Rapids at Bukolt Park Monday afternoon, and then were knocked out of the postseason with an 11-9 loss to the rival Stevens Point Sixers in the game that followed.

“We just didn’t make the plays today, and sometimes that happens,” said Plover catcher/right fielder Derek Baumgartner. “We played a lot of really good baseball this year, and it just didn’t go our way today.”

“We came out both games, hitting the ball right away, we just couldn’t finish it off,” said Plover manager Wayne Sankey. “But I’m really proud of these guys, obviously a group that has been playing with us for a long time, had high expectations, last year they finished well at state and this year they won a Conference Championship, and they battled till the end.

“They never gave up, they believe in each other, and one through 18, they showed up to the ballpark every single day, and it was fun to be around,” he said. “Any time you play 42 games in a month-and-a-half, it’s not easy, but give our guys a lot of credit for a lot of fun this year.”

Black Sox pitcher Austin Beyer allowed one earned run on two hits over six innings to earn the win in Plover’s 4-2 victory over the Stevens Point Sixers in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Friday, July 19. (John Kemmeter photo)

Coming off a pair of wins over Stevens Point during the regular season, the Black Sox and Sixers squared off for the third time this season in their Regional opener Friday, July 19.

Plover used RBI groundouts from Baumgartner and Logan Schulfer in the top of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead Friday night, and after Point scored two runs in the bottom of the first to tie it at 2-2, Vinnie Fonti had a RBI groundout in the top of the second to put the Black Sox ahead 3-2.

Left fielder Logan Schulfer prepares to haul in a fly ball during Plover’s 4-2 win over Stevens Point in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Friday, July 19. (John Kemmeter photo

It stayed that way until the top of the seventh inning, when a RBI single from Cam Stampfl pushed the lead to 4-2, while Point loaded the bases against closer Dylan Davis with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, before Kaden Roberts fielded a grounder at third base and stepped on the bag for the final out to seal a 4-2 win.

Plover closer Dylan Davis recorded the save in the Black Sox’ 4-2 win over the Stevens Point Sixers in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Friday, July 19. (John Kemmeter photo)

Mason King went 2-for-4 with a double, and Stampfl and Mike Glodosky each were 2-for-3 to lead the offense, while Davis picked up the save and Austin Beyer recorded the win after he allowed one earned run on two hits, struck out four and walked three in six innings.

“Austin was a little bit shaky in the first inning, but he settled down and really put up zeroes and allowed us to build that lead,” said Sankey. “Getting that one run in the top of the second was big for us, and then obviously finishing with that run in the seventh, getting the two-out hit by Cam.”

Second baseman Mike Glodosky went 2-for-3 in Plover’s 4-2 victory over Stevens Point in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Friday, July 19. (John Kemmeter photo)

The win sent the Black Sox to face Marshfield Sunday, July 21, after storms that hit the area wiped out play Saturday, July 20.

Plover scored runs in five of the first six innings to build a 7-0 lead and went on to win 7-1 to improve to 2-0 in the double elimination tournament, as Jack Kelly went 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored, Beyer was 3-for-4 with a double, Baumgartner hit a solo home run, and Kenny Schultz earned the win on the mound after he struck out eight, walked none and didn’t allow a run on seven hits over six innings.

“We scored a run in every inning but the first, and we put pressure on them every inning,” said Sankey. “And Kenny did a great job of pounding the strike zone.”

The win set up a showdown with Wisconsin Rapids Monday, as the last two unbeaten teams met for a berth in the Regional Championship Tuesday, July 23.

The Black Sox got out to an early lead, as Kelly had a RBI single, Schulfer followed with a RBI double, and Stampfl had a sacrifice fly in the top of the first inning to go up 3-0.

It remained that way into the bottom of the third, when Rapids had a two-out, two-run double off Plover starter Brett Ehr to pull within 3-2, while it tied the game with a one-out RBI single in the fifth inning, and followed with a two-run double to go up 5-3.

Schulfer had a two-out RBI single in the top of the seventh to bring the Black Sox within 5-4 with the tying run on second base, but Rapids got the final out to hold on for a 5-4 win.

The Black Sox totaled 12 hits in the loss, as Schulfer was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI, Glodosky went 3-for-4, and King and Baumgartner both had two hits, while Ehr took the loss after he allowed five earned runs on six hits in four and 1/3 innings.

“Brett was fine, he was 14-0 on the mound (in his Black Sox career) coming into today, we just needed to score a couple of more runs,” said Sankey. “And give Rapids credit, they’re a very good baseball team.”

The loss meant Plover had to play a half hour later in an elimination game against Point, and the Black Sox again got off to a fast start, as Baumgartner and Schulfer each had a RBI single, and Beyer followed with a two-run home run to give the team a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Point loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the first inning and took advantage of two Plover errors to score six unearned runs in the frame off Stampfl to take a 6-4 lead, while Kelly hit a two-run home run in the top of the third to tie the game at 6-6.

First baseman Jack Kelly had a home run and two RBI in Plover’s 11-9 loss to Stevens Point in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Monday, July 22. (John Kemmeter photo)

Point came back with two runs in the third, one in the fourth and two in the fifth to build an 11-6 lead, before the Black Sox rallied in the top of the sixth inning.

Roberts had a RBI groundout and Baumgartner came through with a two-run single to make it 11-9 with runners on the corners and one out, but Point got back-to-back fly outs to end the threat.

Plover then went down in order in the top of seventh inning, as its run for a second consecutive trip to the State Tournament came to an end with an 11-9 loss.

“You’ve got to give them credit, they really came to play today,” said Glodosky. “They hit the ball, they made us make plays, and it’s a good win for them, they’re a helluva team.”

“It was a tough loss for all of us,” said King. “We played our hearts out, it just didn’t go our way.

“It’s hard to come back after a tough loss to Rapids, as well,” he said.

Logan Schulfer delivers a pitch during the Plover Black Sox’ 11-9 loss to the Stevens Point Sixers in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Monday, July 22. (John Kemmeter photo)

Stampfl suffered the loss after seven of the eight runs Point scored off him were unearned, as he walked two, struck out none and allowed eight hits in three innings, while Schulfer allowed two earned runs on four hits, walked one and struck out three in three innings of relief after he didn’t start on the mound in the Regional.

The Black Sox totaled 10 hits, as Baumgartner went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI, Kelly and Beyer each had a home run and two RBI, Fonti went 2-for-3, and King was 2-for-4.

Tristan Aldrich (left), Dylan Davis, Brett Ehr and Derek Baumgartner walk through the handshake line following the Plover Black Sox’ season-ending 11-9 loss to the Stevens Point Sixers in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Monday, July 22. (John Kemmeter photo)

The loss ended a season that saw the Black Sox return an experienced group from last year’s team that advanced to the AAA State Tournament, as they went on to claim the Wisconsin Valley Legion League Title with a 13-1 record this summer.

It was the final game for nine Black Sox in Baumgartner, Davis, Ehr, Glodosky, Kelly, King, Roberts, Tristan Aldrich and Dylan Trigg, who each spent multiple seasons on the Senior Legion team and helped Plover go 59-29 over the last two seasons.

“It’s been a blast,” said Ehr. “All of the coaches, players.

“A bunch of these guys were together for three, four years in the Black Sox organization too, and you get close with guys like that,” he said.

“It’s tough because there’s nine of them, that’s half of our guys, and we haven’t had that many leave us in one year in a long time,” said Sankey. “Derek’s a guy that’s been around for four, five years and been the leader of this team, and Jack is just a tremendous hitter.

“Brett does a great job on the hill, and Dylan Trigg and Dylan Davis did a nice job pitching for us, and Kaden just had a tremendous year,” he said. “Mike doesn’t play college baseball but just loves the game, plays hard, and did a nice job for us.

“Mason just really turned it on, started out slow and had a good year at the end of the year, and Tristan’s the ultimate team player, it was tough on him this year, but he never once hung his head, and he was all about the team,” he said. “And like I told the guys at the end, I’ve never had a team so positive and so into the team aspect, and didn’t care about themselves. They just wanted to win as a team.”

The Plover Black Sox huddle between innings in their 4-2 win over the Stevens Point Sixers in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Friday, July 19. (John Kemmeter photo)

The 2019 Plover Black Sox American Legion Baseball team, after they won the 30th Dan Schlutter Central Wisconsin Classic at Veterans Memorial Park in Plover July 14. Team members are, front row from left: Bat boy Sullivan Schober, Tristan Aldrich, Cam Stampfl, Derek Baumgartner, Kaden Roberts, Dylan Trigg, JJ Lilly, Vinnie Fonti and bat boy Dalton Fischer. Back row: Brett Ehr, assistant coach D.J. Drohner, Connor Mrozek, Mike Glodosky, Dylan Davis, Austin Beyer, Mason King, Kenny Schultz, Sterling Lutz, Logan Schulfer, assistant coach Corey Opper and manager Wayne Sankey. Not present was Jack Kelly. (John Kemmeter photo)