DAIRYLAND LEAGUE SMALL DIVISION - Game turns in fourth inning as Westboro downs Medford in league opener

DAIRYLAND LEAGUE SMALL DIVISION

A five-run fourth inning rally turned the game around and propelled the Westboro Trojans to an 8-2 win over visiting Medford Sunday in the Dairyland League Small Division opener.

The Trojans, last year’s regular-season Small Division champions, sent 11 batters to the plate in the pivotal fourth inning, shaking off a slow offensive start and erasing a 2-0 lead the Moondogs had held since the first inning.

Jesus Ontiveros pitched six innings to get the win. He struck out eight Moondogs and allowed six hits and two runs. He issued five walks and hit a batter.

Medford’s Peyton Gilles led off the game by banging a towering drive off the leftfield fence for a double. He was still on second when Trent Klemm drew a walk. Roy Stinson’s single brought home Gilles. After Austin Davies walked, Brady Wisniewski singled up the middle to score Klemm.

That was it, however, for Medford, who really didn’t threaten again until it loaded the bases in the sixth with two walks and a hit batter with two outs. Ontiveros, though, got a strikeout to get out of it.

Brett Paul was going to try to start on the bump for Medford, but an injury told him otherwise in his first-inning warmups. Gavin Fuchs became the emergency starter and kept the Trojans off the board through three innings.

With one down in the bottom of the fourth, things changed.

Butch Wiegel was hit by a pitch and singles by Connor Westfall and Tucker Kraemer loaded the bases. Klay Ellenbecker was hit by a pitch to force in a run and Marcus Klemm’s two-run single put Westboro in front.

With two outs, Marshall Westfall walked to re-load the bases and walks to Dustin Freeman and Dakota Willemssen made it 5-2.

Dayne Marlenga singled and scored on a Willemssen fielder’s choice in the sixth. Westboro tacked on two more runs in the eighth when Marshall Westfall and Freeman singled and later scored on Wiegel’s sacrifice fly and Connor Westfall’s base hit.

Wiegel pitched the last three innings, striking out two and allowing three hits. Marlenga had three hits out of the leadoff spot for Westboro, while Marcus Klemm and Connor Westfall had two hits apiece. Westboro outhit Medford 10-9.

Fuchs was two for two and drew two walks for the Moondogs, while Stinson was two for five. The Moondogs threatened again in the seventh but David Hecker was thrown out at home trying to score from second on a hit, which wound up being a huge out when they left the bases loaded again.

Elsewhere in the Small Division this weekend, Rib Lake beat visiting Spirit and Pittsville won 7-5 at Tomahawk Saturday night, while Interwald, last year’s division tournament champion, was a 7-2 winner at Abbotsford on Sunday.

Tomahawk will play at Interwald this coming Sunday while Rib Lake is at Pittsville with both games set to start at 1:30 p.m.