third. With one out, Schuett ….
third. With one out, Schuett uncorked a wild pitch that let Bredlau come home for the 6-0 lead.
Edgar finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth. Jordan Bunkelman started a 3-run Wildcat rally with a double to left field. Schuett followed with a single and advanced on an Indian error to put runners at second and third with one out. After Everet Brehm drew a walk to load the bases, the first Edgar run scored on a Whitford wild pitch. Edgar was suddenly back in the game when Kaden Goodwin ripped a single to right field to drive in two runs.
Coach Hinker brought Schmitz on to relieve Whitford at that point. He responded well, getting Brayden Baumgartner to pop out to short right field and striking out Lemmer on a 3-2 pitch.
With the momentum now in Edgar’s dugout, Greenwood again looked to its seniors. They responded again.
Learman led off the Greenwood seventh with a foul pop for an out, and Xander Hinker was thrown out by the Edgar third baseman. Schmitz then came through with a solid single up the middle, and Bredlau came up huge with an RBI double to the gap in right-center, for a 7-3 lead.
Down to its final three outs, Edgar did its best to come back once more. Schmitz had control troubles, walking Wolf on four pitches to start the inning. He then ran the count to 3-0 on Guden, but came back with two called strikes for a full count. The Indian defense then came through, as Guden bounced a ball up the middle, but Xander Hinker cut it off from his shortstop position, stepped on second for the force out and fired a strike to Humke at first for a double play.
Schmitz got Greenwood to within a strike of the state tourney by running the count to 1-2 on Austin Dahlke. He then misfired on a pitch and hit the batter to put him aboard. On a 1-1 count to Bunkelman, Schmitz hit him with a pitch, too, to put two men aboard with two outs. Although those hit batsmen created a few anxious moments for the Indians, it all ended quickly when Xander Hinker snared Schuett’s line drive for the final out.
Greenwood first baseman Austen Humke (above) takes a pick-off throw from his pitcher in the Indians’ 7-3 win over Edgar in Tuesdays’ WIAA Division 4 sectional final. At left, pitcher Sully Whitford delivers to the plate against Edgar. Whitford allowed five hits and four walks over 5 2/3 innings.
