Stevens Point Sixers center fielder Brady Franz (2) is congratulated by manager Pat Perner after his two-run triple in the Sixers’ 8-0 win over Marshfield that sent Point to the Championship Game of the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Tuesday, July 23. (John Kemmeter photo)

Portage County Gazette

By John Kemmeter

Needing to string together five consecutive wins to earn a trip to the State Tournament for the first time since 2003, the Stevens Point Sixers American Legion Baseball team came up just short, as they fell in the Championship Game of the AAA Region 2 Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Tuesday, July 23.

Following a 4-2 loss to Plover in their Regional opener Friday, July 19, the Sixers won four games in a row to advance to the Championship Game against Wisconsin Rapids Tuesday night, where they were down 2-0 heading into the top of the seventh inning.

Point rallied to score one run to pull within 2-1 and had the bases loaded with two outs, when Rapids got a strikeout to advance to state with a 2-1 win and end the Sixers’ season at 21-10.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our guys,” said Sixers first baseman/pitcher Isaac Perner. “We came out kind of slow, we just kept battling, having runners on and trying to get them in.

“Finally we got through there in the seventh inning, and we were right there,” he said.

“A couple plays made the difference in the game,” said first-year Sixers manager Pat Perner. “The boys played their tails off the entire way, and it was a good baseball game.

“They got a couple breaks, we didn’t get the couple breaks to go our way, and that kind of made the difference,” he said.

The Stevens Point Sixers huddle between innings of their 2-1 loss to Wisconsin Rapids in the Championship Game of the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Tuesday, July 23. (John Kemmeter photo)

After losing both regular-season meetings against Wisconsin Valley Legion League (WVLL) Champion Plover, Point took on the Black Sox in the Regional opener for both teams Friday.

Plover scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead, but J.D. Schultz answered with a two-run double in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 2-2.

The Black Sox scored on a fielder’s choice in the top of the second to go up 3-2 and added a run in the top of the seventh on a RBI single to make it 4-2, while Point loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, before Plover got a groundout to win 4-2 in the double-elimination tournament.

“It’s a tough loss, we were right there until the end,” said shortstop Justin Morton. “We couldn’t get that timely hit, it’s pretty much all we needed.

“We hit the ball hard, just right at them every time,” he said.

“Knowing that we play Plover right away, they were our best competition all year,” said Schultz. “Being able to get that game out of the way, we just have to focus on the rest of the games down the road.

“We have D.C. Everest now, and we’ve just got to focus on that game and get the ‘W,’ he said.

JD Schultz delivers a pitch during the Stevens Point Sixers’ 4-2 loss to the Plover Black Sox in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Friday, July 19. (John Kemmeter photo)

Reese Gaber took the loss after he allowed two earned runs on three hits in two and 2/3 innings, while the Sixers finished with four hits in the loss and looked to bounce in an elimination-game against D.C. Everest Sunday, July 21, after the Regional was rained out Saturday, July 20.

Nate Helms, Isaac Cychosz and Brady Franz each had a RBI single and Isaac Perner drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the second inning to give Point a 4-0 lead, and it went on to a 6-2 win over Everest, as Franz went 2-for-3 to lead the offense, and Helms struck out two, walked two and allowed two earned runs on six hits in seven innings for the complete-game victory.

“We were in a do-or-die situation, and I wanted Nate out there to settle things down,” said Pat Perner. “I know I’m going to put him on the mound and get consistency with him, and I just wanted the consistency on the defensive side, so when we did get our bats going, that we could jump out and get ahead of them.”

The Sixers were back with another elimination game against Wausau Sunday night, where Wausau scored one run in the top of the first inning, but Point answered with two runs in the bottom of the first and three in the second to go up 5-1 on the way to an 8-2 victory.

Jacob Danielsen went 3-for-3, and Morton had a double and two RBI, while Zach Zimmerman struck out one, walked none and allowed two earned runs on four hits over seven innings for the complete-game win.

Stevens Point Sixers second baseman Nate Helms fields a ground ball during the Sixers’ 11-9 win over Plover in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Monday, July 22. (John Kemmeter photo)

Looking to advance to the final day of the tournament, Point squared off with rival Plover Monday, July 22, after the Black Sox lost 5-4 to Rapids in the game before in a matchup of the last two unbeaten teams in the tournament.

Plover struck with four runs in the top of the first inning off Gaber to take a 4-0 lead, but Point answered with six runs in the bottom of the first to go up 6-4.

The Black Sox tied the game at 6-6 on a two-run home run from Jack Kelly in the top of the third inning, but Franz and Isaac Perner each had a RBI single in the bottom of the third inning to give the Sixers an 8-6 lead.

Isaac Williams (5) congratulates Isaac Perner (18) and Zach Zimmerman (12) after Zimmerman scored on Perner’s sacrifice fly to give Stevens Point an 11-6 lead over Plover in the Sixers’ 11-9 win at Bukolt Park Monday, July 22. (John Kemmeter photo)

Point added a RBI double from Gaber in the fourth, and a sacrifice fly from Isaac Perner and a RBI single from Morton in the fifth to extend its lead to 11-6, while Plover rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth inning to pull within 11-9 with runners on the corners and one out.

Stevens Point Sixers pitcher Isaac Cychosz sends a pitch home during the team’s 11-9 win over the Plover Black Sox at Bukolt Park Monday, July 22. (John Kemmeter photo)

However, Cychosz got back-to-back fly outs to escape the jam, and then set the Black Sox down in order to give Point an 11-9 win that ended Plover’s season.

“It’s always nice to beat them,” said Zimmerman. “I feel like they probably overlooked us a little bit. It was just really nice to show them who we are.”

Stevens Point center fielder Brady Franz and catcher Jacob Danielsen celebrate after the Sixers’ 11-9 win over Plover in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Monday, July 22. (John Kemmeter photo)

Cychosz allowed five runs on seven hits in six innings of relief for the win, while Zimmerman went 4-for-4 with a double and three runs scored, Franz was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, Morton went 2-for-4 with two RBI, and Schultz had two RBI, as the Sixers totaled 12 hits.

“They’re a solid ballclub, their whole lineup, there’s not a hole in it,” said Cychosz. “Our offense and defense was just together today and we played as a team.”

Shortstop Justin Morton and third baseman Zach Zimmerman celebrate following the final out of the Stevens Point Sixers’ 11-9 win over the Plover Black Sox in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Monday, July 22. (John Kemmeter photo)

Marshfield followed with a 3-2 win over Rapids in eight innings Monday night, which meant Point took on Marshfield at 5 p.m. Tuesday, with the winner to play Rapids in the Regional Championship at 7:30 p.m.

Cychosz had a RBI single in the bottom of the second inning to give the Sixers a 1-0 lead over Marshfield, and Schultz hit a solo home run in the bottom of the third to make it 2-0, while Morton and Danielsen each had a RBI single in the fourth to increase the lead to 4-0.

JD Schultz struck out nine, walked two, and allowed two hits over five shutout innings in the Stevens Point Sixers’ 8-0 win over Marshfield in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Tuesday, July 23. (John Kemmeter photo)

Meanwhile, Schultz limited Marshfield to two hits over five shutout innings, before Franz added a two-run triple, Isaac Perner had a sacrifice fly, and Schultz had a RBI double in a four-run fifth inning, and Point went on to an 8-0 win.

Schultz earned the win on the mound and went 2-for-4 with a double, home run and two RBI at the plate, while Morton was 3-for-3; Franz went 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored and two RBI; and Isaac Perner, Danielsen, Helms and Gaber each had two hits to lead a 16-hit attack.

Shortstop Justin Morton prepares to round third and head home to score on a RBI double from JD Schultz to give the Stevens Point Sixers an 8-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning in their 8-0 win over Marshfield in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Tuesday, July 23. (John Kemmeter photo)

“They’ve just been swinging the bats so well the last month of the season,” said Pat Perner. “And they knew what they had to do, and they did a great job.

“And JD was lights out again,” he said.

Stevens Point pitcher Reese Gaber fires to get a force out at third base during the Sixers’ 2-1 loss to Wisconsin Rapids in the Championship Game of the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Tuesday, July 23. (John Kemmeter photo)

In the Regional Championship Game a half hour later, Rapids used a pair of doubles in the bottom of the second inning off Gaber to take a 1-0 lead, and then scored a run on an error in the bottom of the fourth inning to go up 2-0.

Meanwhile, the Point offense left nine runners stranded on base through five innings before it chased Rapids starting pitcher and 2019 Wisconsin Valley Conference Player of the Year Donovan Brandl from the game, while the Sixers still trailed 2-0 heading into the top of the seventh inning.

There, Isaac Perner had a one-out single, Morton was hit by a pitch, and Schultz reached on an error that scored Isaac Perner and made it 2-1 with runners on the corners and one out.

Stevens Point first baseman Isaac Perner went 1-for-3 and scored the Sixers’ only run in a 2-1 loss to Wisconsin Rapids in the Championship Game of the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Tuesday, July 23. (John Kemmeter photo)

After Schultz stole second base to put the go-ahead run in scoring position, Rapids came up with a strikeout for the second out, and then intentionally walked Helms to load the bases.

With the tying run 90-feet away, Rapids got a called strike three looking on a 1-2 count to hang on for a 2-1 win, as it advanced to the State Tournament and ended the Sixers’ run.

“We battled,” said Franz. “Nobody was expecting us to have the season that we had this year.

“From top to bottom, everyone on this roster really just put 100 percent effort in,” he said. “It’s the only way we could’ve gotten to where we are.”

Brady Franz and Nate Helms of the Stevens Point Sixers American Legion Baseball team walk off the field following their 2-1 loss to Wisconsin Rapids in the Championship Game of the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Tuesday, July 23. (John Kemmeter photo)

Helms was 2-for-3 and Schultz went 2-for-4 to lead the Sixers, who finished with one run on six hits and committed two errors, while Gaber took the loss in his third start of the tournament after he allowed one earned run on six hits, walked four and struck out none in four and 1/3 innings.

The loss ended a season that saw the Sixers bounce back from a 3-4 start to the season, as they knocked off three State Tournament-bound teams in Beaver Dam, Oshkosh and Rapids to win their home Ed Kardach Firecracker Classic over Fourth of July weekend for the first time since 2013, and won eight of their last nine games, before falling in the Regional Championship Game.

“Being with these guys since I was eight and nine, 10 (years old), to this being our last season,” said Danielsen. “Nobody thought we were going to do this good, but we did it, we proved everybody wrong, and I couldn’t be any prouder of my boys.”

“I told them, ‘you guys got to 21 wins because you believed in each other, and you did it, and there was a lot of other people on other teams that didn’t think we’d even be near that,’” said Pat Perner “It surprised a lot of teams and it surprised a lot of people, and it just shows their positive attitudes they’ve had all year, and what a great group of kids.

“There’s a lot of times that things didn’t go our way and they could’ve folded, and they didn’t,” he said. “I told them, ‘be very, very proud of yourself for what you guys accomplished here this year, no one should be hanging their head at all, because this is one of the best teams that we’ve had in the Sixers organization for a long, long time.'”

Stevens Point second baseman Nate Helms leaps to catch a line drive in the Sixers’ 2-1 loss to Wisconsin Rapids in the Championship Game of the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Tuesday, July 23. (John Kemmeter photo)

Center fielder Brady Franz slides in ahead of throw to the plate to score on a sacrifice fly from Isaac Perner and give the Stevens Point Sixers a 7-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning in their 8-0 win over Marshfield in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Tuesday, July 23. (John Kemmeter photo)

Stevens Point Sixers catcher Jacob Danielsen celebrates with pitcher Isaac Cychosz following the Sixers’ 11-9 win over Plover at the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Monday, July 22. (John Kemmeter photo)

The Stevens Point Sixers walk off the field following their 11-9 win over Plover at the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Monday, July 22. (John Kemmeter photo)

Center fielder Brady Franz reacts after his two-run triple in the Stevens Point Sixers’ 8-0 win over Marshfield that sent the Sixers to the Championship Game of the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Tuesday, July 23. (John Kemmeter photo)

Stevens Point Sixers manager Pat Perner talks with first baseman Isaac Perner, catcher Jacob Danielsen and pitcher Brady Franz during the Sixers’ 8-0 win over Marshfield in the AAA Regional Tournament at Bukolt Park Tuesday, July 23. (John Kemmeter photo)

The 2019 Stevens Point Sixers, after they went 4-0 to win the 47th Ed Kardach Firecracker Classic at Bukolt Park Friday through Sunday, July 5-7. Team members are, front row, from left: Brady Franz, Jacob Danielsen, Justin Morton, JD Schultz, Reese Gaber, Isaac Cychosz and Isaac Williams. Back row: Braden Christophersen, Zach Zimmerman, Cade Konczal, Griffin Firkus, Austin Frafjord, Isaac Perner, Nate Helms and Jamie Praefke. (John Kemmeter photo)