By Jacob Heid

Sports Editor

The Plover Black Sox had a highly anticipated matchup vs. Eau Claire at the AAA Wisconsin Legion state tournament in Marinette on Jul. 26. 

With a win already under its belt, Plover gained an early advantage but ultimately ended the game with a 7-1 loss. 

The Black Sox only had three hits offensively and struck out 14 times in the tough loss.

With both sides getting a feel for each other in the early going, Plover jumped out to the early lead in the bottom of the second inning. 

Bryce Ehr continued his powerful hitting as he slung one back to the wall for a stand-up double to lead off the frame.

With one out, Ehr advanced to third on a passed ball during a Devin Mrozek at-bat. 

He finally crossed home plate after Ben Fonti singled to right with two outs, putting the Sox ahead 1-0. 

Besides a handful of walks, base runners were hard to come by the rest of the way for Plover.

Starting pitcher Braylen Nystrom kept the momentum on the Black Sox’s side for the first five innings. 

Even though the offense couldn’t grab any insurance runs, the 1-0 lead went into the sixth inning. 

That’s when things shifted towards Eau Claire. 

Plover got in a tight spot in the top of the sixth, allowing Eau Claire to load the bases with one out. 

Nystrom allowed a hit back up the middle, which knotted the game at 1-1.

A throwing error in the following at-bat gave Eau Claire a 2-1 advantage.  

It was the end of the line for Nystrom after five and one-third innings, but he was still on the hook for the three runners on base.

He ended up surrendering four runs on four hits and striking out five. 

Eau Claire tallied two more runs in the sixth to take a 4-1 lead. 

The Black Sox tried answering in the bottom of the sixth as Matthew Glodowski reached second base with two outs. Mrozek forced a walk, putting runners on first and second with the tying run up to bat. 

After a pitching change, Fonti walked up to the plate. He went down swinging, leaving two stranded in a three-run deficit. 

Eau Claire extended its lead again in the seventh, scoring three runs against Tim Sackmann. 

As the Black Sox trailed 7-1, they went down in order in their final at-bats to end the game. 

What’s good about double-elimination tournaments is that a team gets to bounce back. 

Plover has that chance this afternoon, Jul. 27, at 2 p.m. vs. Janesville. The loser of the game is eliminated from the state tournament.