By Jacob Heid

Sports Editor

STEVENS POINT – The playoff opener for the Pacelli baseball team came in the regional semifinal vs. No. 7-seeded Lena on May 30. 

The No. 2-seeded Cardinals took an early lead, fell behind and answered the bell late in a 4-2 win to advance to the regional final this afternoon. 

Pacelli finished the game with just four hits, but great execution on the base pads led to the four runs.

Senior Brock Birrenkott, junior Peyton Flees and sophomores Malise Beduhn and Lucas Haemmerle all collected hits in the win. 

Birrenkott and Flees picked up one RBI a piece. 

Starting pitcher Keltin Opper flew through the first two innings for Pacelli with no problem.

A runner at third in the bottom of the first inning got stranded, keeping the score 0-0.

Birrenkott led off the second with a single, his only hit. 

Haemmerle followed that up with a single, putting runners on the corners and no outs. 

With one out, junior Andrew Van Order grounded to third, scoring Birrenkott for a 1-0 lead. 

Lena got out of the frame with no more damage done.

The visiting Wildcats took the lead, 2-1, in the top of the fourth off of three hits and a few errors by the Cardinals’ defense.

The defense got away from Pacelli a little but regained the lead in the fifth inning. 

Pacelli got an early base runner on a hit batter with one out, lighting the spark.

Beduhn got into scoring position with his a stolen base. 

Flees later ripped a pitch into left, allowing the tying run to score and put runners at the corners with still only one out. 

A high fly ball hit by Birrenkott scored fellow senior Tim Sackmann from third, putting Pacelli ahead 3-2. 

Junior Asher Jordan forced a walk and put himself in a rundown on a steal attempt, long enough to score another run before being called out at second. 

Opper remained strong, collecting eight strikeouts before being pulled after six and one-third innings. 

The sophomore allowed one earned run on seven hits. 

Flees came in to pitch the final two outs. 

He threw nine pitches, five for strikes, to close the door on the win. 

Pacelli advances to this afternoon’s regional final game vs. No. 3-seeded Gibraltar/Washington Island. 

The game is at Bukolt Park in Stevens Point and starts at 4:30 p.m.