Top-seeded Trojans unable to slow Titans’ late momentum

DAIRYLAND LEAGUE SMALL TOURNAMENT

Westboro easily won its first game in the Dairyland League’s Small Division tournament, but the top-seeded Trojans let an 8-1 lead slip away in Sunday’s semifinal and did not get the chance to play for the title following an 11-8 loss to the fifth-seeded Tomahawk Titans.

A five-run sixth inning rally got Tomahawk back in the game. The Titans tied it at 8-8 in the eighth and then, with all of the momentum, won it with a three-run top of the ninth that was aided by three errors.

Westboro was hurt by five errors and ran into four outs on the base paths that shortened potential rallies that might have put the game away by the seventh inning.

Instead, Tomahawk, who beat Pittsville 7-3 in Friday’s tournament opener, went on to play for the championship against second-seeded Interwald, which it lost 8-1.

The Trojans answered a first-inning sacrifice fly by Tomahawk’s John Roberts with a run-scoring bloop single from Dustin Freeman and a run on a double play hit by Dakota Willemssen to go up 2-1. Tanner Hraby’s two-run double made it 4-1 in the second.

Freeman was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Willemssen’s single in the third. Connor Westfall crushed a Tyler Jablonski pitch to lead off the fourth, depositing it well over the leftfield fence and Westboro added another run that inning on Marshall Westfall’s single to make it 7-1.

The Trojans threatened to deliver a knockout punch in the fifth. Willemssen singled and Tomahawk’s errant throw on Brant Johnson’s sacrifice bunt put runners on first and second. The Titans got an out at second on Braxton Weissmiller’s ground ball, but Connor Westfall’s double to deep left scored Willemssen. Weissmiller tried to score from first and was cut down at the plate on a perfect relay throw from shortstop Nick Kahle for the second out of the inning. A groundout got Jablonski and the Titans out of the inning with no further damage.

Roberts lined a home run to right to start the top of the sixth and momentum quickly switched to the other dugout.

Brady Martin singled, Jacob Kahle doubled and Matt Heinrich singled in Martin. With one out, Westboro didn’t get an out on an Eli Wurl fielder’s choice as Martin scored. After a wild pitch, Nick Kahle doubled in a run and Jablonski singled in another, knocking Westboro reliever Tucker Kraemer off the mound in favor of Marshall Westfall, who got out of the inning with Westboro’s lead still intact at 8-6.

Jablonski’s bad-hop double past third started the Titans’ game-tying rally in the eighth. After a wild pitch, he scored when Hraby made a beautiful diving stop on a grounder that took away a hit from Cody Brietzke. But Roberts walked, Martin doubled and an error on a ball hit by Jacob Kahle tied it.

Two errors surrounding a double by Nick Kahle to deep left brought in the goahead run in the ninth. Brietzke added an RBI single and Roberts drove in the final run on a fielder’s choice.

Tomahawk wound up outhitting Westboro 14-11. Jablonski was three for six, while Nick Kahle, Brietzke and Martin were all two for six. Roberts drove in three.

Marshall Westfall was charged with the loss. In 3.2 innings, he allowed four hits and five runs, but only one was earned. He struck out two and walked four.

Willy Johnson started for Westboro and went four innings despite fouling a ball off his eye in the first inning. He struck out one, walked two and allowed four hits and an unearned run. Kraemer allowed five runs and six hits in 1.1 innings.

Westboro’s pitching plans for the day were affected by a leg injury suffered by Butch Wiegel during Saturday’s win over Spirit.

Hraby, Marshall Westfall and Connor Westfall had two hits apiece for the Trojans.

Jablonski went seven innings for Tomahawk and allowed all 11 hits and eight runs, six of which were earned. He struck out one, walked three and hit two. Brietzke got the relief win, striking out three in two innings.

Westboro 10, Spirit 4

Base runners abounded in Saturday’s quarterfinal with Westboro doing a better job of driving those runners home in a 10-4 win over the eighth-seeded Spirit Twins.

Spirit, who went 0-7 in league play but took Westboro to 10 innings in their July 16 meeting, loaded the bases with one out in the first two innings and didn’t score and only got one run out of the same situation in the third. That cost the Twins when Westboro built a 7-1 lead in those first three innings. The lead got to 10-1 before the Twins got three runs in the eighth.

Connor Westfall pushed through 7.2 innings to pick up the win. He worked around eight walks, eight hits and three hit batters by getting seven strikeouts and some infield outs at key times to keep Spirit off the board early.

Dayne Marlenga went three for five with two RBIs to lead Westboro offensively. Marlenga’s RBI single was part of a six-run third inning.

Spirit had just tied it in the top of the inning when James Cook was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Freeman singled and scored on Willemssen’s double. With two outs Connor Westfall doubled in Willemssen and scored on the Marlenga hit. After Kraemer walked, Hraby hit a two-run double and he scored on a double from Marshall Westfall.

Marlenga’s RBI double made it 9-1 in the sixth and followed a run-scoring groundout by Weissmiller. Willemssen singled in a run in the seventh.

Spirit loaded the bases again in the eighth and finally cashed in with walks from Tyler Zocher, Joe Zocher and Brady Heiser. Kraemer took over for Westfall and ended the inning with a groundout. He struck out two batters in the ninth.

Tyler Zocher took the loss for Spirit, allowing 11 hits and nine runs, seven of which were earned, in six innings. He struck out two and walked six. Spirit left an astounding 16 runners on base.