A GREAT RUN ABRUPTLY ENDS

WISCONSIN AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT

Two wins, Sportsmanship Award for Post 147

BY MATT FREY SPORTS EDITOR

An exciting run of six straight wins brought Medford’s Post 147 baseball team within a victory of reaching championship Tuesday in the Wisconsin American Legion Class AA state tournament in Ashwaubenon.

But, as they say, all good things must come to an end.

Medford grabbed a 4-2 lead over New London in the top of the third inning and held it until the bottom of the fourth in Monday’s elimination semifinal. That’s when the Clippers took advantage of a bases-loaded chance to score three times. They added four more runs in the bottom of the sixth to knock out Medford 9-4 and earn their own chance to play for the title.

The host Ashwaubenon A’s, however, were the team hoisting the trophy at tournament’s end Tuesday. The A’s and Clippers brought the tournament to an exciting conclusion as New London took Tuesday’s first game 4-3 in 10 innings to force a second winner-take-all game. The A’s won it 6-5 on a walk-off two-run homer by Andrew Pludeman in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Medford went 2-2 in the tournament, equaling the 2019 team for the program’s best state showing in Post 147’s recent run of four state appearances in five Legion seasons. The difference in this one was winning the first two games, putting a realistic shot at reaching the final day within reach, especially knowing Post 147 was playing a New London team it had already beaten once in the tournament.

Medford put three players — Parker Lissner, Braxton Weissmiller and Logan Baumgartner — on the All-Tournament team and came home with the tournament’s Sportsmanship Award, something the 2019 team also did in Class A competition at Westby under then head coach Kurt Alexander.

“What a run,” head coach Justin Hraby said. “I am so proud of these guys, losing their first regional game at home and then rattling off six wins in a row to get us to the 2-0 undefeated game at state. What a great group of players and parents. This gives us a lot of confidence going in to the 2024 spring season. We will surely miss Logan and Ty (Metz), but the rest of our guys gained some valuable big game experience.”

Two-out success with the bats allowed Medford to hold a mid-game lead in Monday’s matchup with New London.

In the top of the first, Lissner hit a one-out double off starting pitcher Mike Helsten. Helsten retired Baumgartner on a comebacker, but Weissmiller crushed one to deep right-center for another double to knock in Lissner.

The lead didn’t last long. The Clippers got an infield single from leadoff hitter Austin Schmallenberg, an RBI double from Ayden Kanaman and a run-scoring single from Easton Sievert to take a quick 2-1 lead. Medford pitcher Tanner Hraby induced a double-play grounder from Tommy Fields to cool the rally.

Post 147 struck again in the third, all with two outs. Lissner and Baumgartner singled and Weissmiller walked to load the bases. Dietzman drew a walk to drive in a run, Nick Steliga singled for

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Medford second baseman Nick Steliga jumps to avoid a collision with New London's Easton Sievert in the bottom of the fourth inning in Friday's first-round game at the Wisconsin American Legion Baseball Class AA state tournament hosted by Ashwaubenon. Steliga took a throw from third baseman Parker Lissner to get the force on Sievert, who was then ruled to have interfered with Steliga giving Medford an inning-ending double play.

MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS an RBI and Logan Kawa worked Helsten for another walk to make it 4-2.

Medford turned another double play defensively in the bottom half, but the team wasn’t able to dig out of a fourthinning jam with three hit batters and two singles, including a tie-breaking hit from Schmallenberg, leading to three runs.

Tyler Gerrits pitched 3.2 scoreless relief innings to pick up the win and New London put the game away in the sixth. Schmallenberg was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, then Kanaman cleared them with a double, aided by an error. Medford put two on in the seventh, but a double play ended the game. The game featured four double plays, three of them by Medford’s defense. “We jumped out on them early and then regained a lead in the fourth,” coach Hraby said. “Free bases did us in again. A few calls didn’t go our way and, in a close game, that sometimes can make a difference. Either way, there are so many things in a game that can contribute to a win or a loss. We didn’t do the little things to get us over the hump in this game.”

Lissner and Baumgartner both went two for four in the loss. Hraby, Weissmiller and Steliga had a hit apiece. Weissmiller walked three times. New London got eight hits off Hraby, who pitched all six innings. He struck out two and walked one, but six hit batters did him in. Schmallenberg and Kanaman both went two for three. Gerrits allowed just one hit after taking over in the fourth.

Baumgartner made the All-Tournament team with nine strong innings on the mound. He allowed just one unearned run and three hits while striking out 11 and hitting two batters. He did not walk a batter. He also went a combined six for 13 at the plate with a double and a run batted in. Weissmiller was a combined five for 10 with two doubles, two RBIs and he drew four walks. He had the go-ahead hit in Medford’s 4-2 win over New London in round one. Lissner was three for 12 with four runs scored, two walks and flawless defense at third base, including a spectacular play that started a game-ending double play in the team’s 3-1 win over River Falls.

A’s 13, Medford 3

Post 147 suffered its first loss of the tournament Sunday evening, falling 13-3 to host Ashwaubenon in a matchup of the tournament’s last two unbeaten teams.

The A’s took advantage of two big innings to earn a clear path to Tuesday’s final round. They scored six unearned runs in the top of the second to grab a 6-1 lead and they got a two-run double from Matt Schuch and a two-run homer from Eli Zollar in the sixth to break open a still-competitive game and make it 10-3.

Weissmiller went two for three for Medford, including an RBI single in the first inning and an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth that made it 6-3. Hraby added an RBI single in the second.

Weissmiller, the team’s catcher, also had the defensive play of the game for Medford in the bottom of the first inning, diving to his right to catch an attempted suicide squeeze bunt by Pludeman and then doubling off the runner from third, Boone Kirst, to end the inning.

Three errors contributed to Ashwaubenon’s big second inning, which was capped by an RBI double from Pludeman.

Metz started for Post 147 and went two innings to keep him potentially available for Tuesday if the team advanced that far. Carson Carbaugh threw three scoreless innings until the A’s had their big sixth inning and got three more runs off him and Charlie Gierl in the top of the seventh.

“Our defense, that has been so good in this run, let us down,” coach Hraby said. “They are way too good of an offensive team for us to give them free bases and extra outs. Ty and Carson did their jobs. Their defense behind them let them down. I was very pleased with how we swung the bats, getting extra base hits from Tanner, Logan and Braxton early on.”

First baseman Max Dietzman throws to pitcher Logan Baumgartner to record an out on New London’s Tommy Fields Saturday morning in the seventh inning of the teams’ suspended game, won by Medford 4-2 in eight innings.PHOTOS BY MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS

Medford shortstop Tanner Hraby makes a barehand grab on a slow roller that winds up being an infield hit for Bryce Bevan of River Falls during Post 147’s 3-1 win Saturday evening.

Logan Baumgartner

Braxton Weissmiller

Parker Lissner