Thorp-Gilman

four he allowed was earned. Gavin Boie covered the final four innings, allowing an earned run, four hits and two walks while striking out four.

Thorp-Gilman got its last run in the bottom of the sixth with an Ashton Kroeplin sacrifice fly that drove in Gavin Boie, who had singled. Logan Kroeplin had a hit in the loss. Hauser drew two walks.

Regional champs

Thankful to have survived their extrainning win over Whitehall the previous night, Thorp-Gilman’s momentum continued into the regional final June 16 at Fall Creek, where the bats pummeled the top-seeded Crickets 11-5.

While the teams shared second place in the Western Cloverbelt Conference with 10-4 league records, Thorp-Gilman made its statement by winning all three matchups with the Crickets, who finished the year 15-6.

Thorp-Gilman chipped away at three Fall Creek pitchers, banging out 14 hits –– all singles –– and scoring in the first six innings. The Crickets made one run, scoring four runs in the bottom of the third to pull within 6-4. But the visitors responded immediately with three runs in the top of the fourth and rode the solid relief pitching of Gavin Boie from there to finish off the victory.

Boie got the last out of the third to shut down Fall Creek’s rally and covered the last 4.1 innings, allowing four hits, one earned run and five walks. He struck out seven to offset the walks.

Logan Kroeplin pitched two scoreless innings before running into trouble in the third, which included key hits by Fall Creek’s Jack Riemenschneider and Luke Olson. Kroeplin allowed three hits and four runs in 2.2 innings, while walking four and striking out one.

Offensively, every starter but one had at least one hit. Number-nine hitter Jack Syryczuk led the way by going three for three with a walk. He scored three times and drove in one. Brayden Boie was two for three with two runs driven in and two scored. Kade Kroeplin, Rosemeyer and Logan Kroeplin all went two for four. Rosemeyer drove in two, scored two and stole two bases.

Fall Creek starter Nolan Martzke took the loss and lasted just 1.1 innings after allowing two runs in the first and three more in the second, though it wasn’t all his fault as three of the runs were unearned. Olson went 3.2 innings, allowing eight hits and five runs, three of which were earned.