Trojans shut down Augusta in opener, but get knocked out by New Richmond

The Westboro Trojans got the first win they needed to advance to the Wisconsin Baseball Association Finals but New Richmond prevented them getting win number two, taking a 13-3, eight-inning win Sunday at the Augusta regional.

Westboro played one of its best games of the summer Friday night, beating the Augusta Athletics 8-3. Augusta was the top seed in the three-team grouping, while Westboro was seeded second and New Richmond third.

New Richmond, however, earned the berth in the Division B Finals hosted by Whittlesey this weekend thanks to its win over Westboro and its 15-5 win over Augusta Saturday.

In the win over Augusta, Westboro outhit the Athletics 16-6, led by a four-for-five outing from Tanner Hraby, a three-for-five effort from Connor Westfall and two hits each from Marshall Westfall, Marcus Klemm and Tucker Kraemer.

Hraby pitched eight strong innings, striking out nine while allowing five hits and two earned runs. He did not walk a batter. Hraby threw seven scoreless innings after a tough first inning ended with Augusta leading 3-2. Marshall Westfall took over in the ninth and promptly loaded the bases on a single and two walks, but he got out of it with no damage done by getting a forceout at home, a strikeout and a ground ball to third.

Westboro got a quick jump in the top of the first with Hraby singling, advancing on two wild pitches by Augusta starter Chris Komanec. He scored on a Marshall Westfall double and Westfall later scored after two more wild pitches.

The Trojans took the lead in the top of the fourth. James Holliday hit a leadoff single, Kraemer walked and they were sacrificed into scoring position by Klay Ellenbecker. Hraby’s sacrifice fly drove in the tying run. Marshall Westfall followed with the go-ahead single.

Connor Westfall singled and scored on Kraemer’s two-out hit in the fifth. Hraby singled and scored on Dustin Freeman’s single in the sixth and the Trojans widened the gap to five in the ninth. Kraemer and Ellenbecker started the inning with singles. Kraemer was thrown out trying to score on Hraby’s hit but, with two outs, Klemm came up with a clutch two-run single.

Millers 13, Trojans 3

Two big innings did the Trojans in against New Richmond Sunday. The Millers broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the fourth with a five-run rally and another five-run rally in the top of the seventh opened up an 11-2 lead.

Butch Wiegel’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third tied the game at 1-1 before things started to unravel in the top of the fourth. Dan Ragsdale drew a leadoff walk from Westboro starter Jesus Ontiveros, then consecutive hits by Brady Cunningham, Jacob Hasapopoulis, Ethan Cook, Corbin Reiling and Mark Albright gave New Richmond the momentum, leading to its 6-1 lead.

Westboro stranded two runner in the third, two in the fourth and left the bases loaded in the fifth before getting one run back in the sixth when Connor Westfall singled and eventually scored on a Braxton Weissmiller hit. There were two outs and two on when New Richmond broke it open in the seventh with Austin Juhl’s triple being the big hit. It was followed by singles from Bennett Scribner and Tommy Grygienc.

Marshall Westfall got Westboro’s last RBI with a groundout in the bottom of the seventh. New Richmond closed the scoring with two more runs, aided by two errors, in the top of the eighth.

Albright was four for five to lead New Richmond’s 15-hit attack. The bottom three in the batting order, Cunningham, Hasapopoulis and Cook, had two hits apiece. Hasapopoulis was the winning pitcher Westboro had 11 hits, including three each from Connor Westfall and Klemm and two from Weissmiller.