DAIRYLAND LEAGUE SMALL DIVISION - Two-win weekend puts Westboro back among Small Division contenders

DAIRYLAND LEAGUE SMALL DIVISION

One week after nearly digging out of a nine-run ninth-inning deficit against Rib Lake, the Westboro Trojans had to fight off a similar comeback effort Sunday, holding on for a 9-6 win over visiting Spirit.

The win was Westboro’s second in less than 24 hours. The Trojans were 12-4 victors at Tomahawk Saturday evening and, by improving to 3-1 in league play, they stayed within striking distance of 5-0 Rib Lake in the Small Division standings of the Dairyland League.

Westboro is tied with Interwald and Abbotsford for second place. The Trojans are at Abbotsford Friday for a key 7 p.m. league matchup.

Westboro scored Sunday’s first run in the bottom of the first inning and steadily built on that lead until it was 9-0 heading into the eighth. The Twins, who took Westboro to extra innings in their regularseason meeting last summer, scored three runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth before leaving the bases loaded when the last out was recorded.

Jesus Ontiveros shut out the Twins over the first seven innings, striking out nine, walking four and hitting two. Spirit had the bases loaded in the first, but the Trojans got out of it on a double play ball hit by Tyler Zocher. The Twins stranded two in the sixth inning and left the bases loaded in the seventh.

Westboro, on the other hand, scored in five of the first seven innings. Marshall Westfall singled and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Dustin Freeman in the first. Consecutive singles in the second by Tucker Kraemer, Kole Ellenbecker and James Holliday led to a run-scoring walk from Tanner Hraby and a sacrifice fly from Westfall for a 3-0 lead.

The Trojans started the third with another string of consecutive hits by Freeman, ConnorWestfall and Kraemer to load the bases. Ellenbecker drove in two with a double and Holliday drove in one with a groundout for a 6-0 lead. Holliday added a two-run double in the sixth and Conner Westfall singled in Westboro’s last run in the seventh.

Spirit started its comeback in the eighth, touching reliever Brant Johnson with singles by Mike Hake, Ethan Cook and Adam B. Walks to Dominic Quednow and Nick Pittman scored runs. Lucas Cook drove in one with a groundout.

In the ninth, now facing Kraemer, the Twins got four hits, including a two-run double by Pittman, and two walks, but an infield fly, a fly ball and a groundout allowed Westboro to escape.

The Trojans had 13 hits, including two apiece from Connor Westfall, Kraemer, Ellenbecker and Holliday with Holliday leading the team with three RBIs. Spirit had eight hits.

Spirit, now 0-4 in league play, is at 0-4 Medford Saturday at 7 p.m.

Trojans 12, Titans 4

Hraby went four for four and walked in his six plate appearances, plus he picked up the pitching victory with eight strong innings Saturday in Westboro’s 12-4 win at Tomahawk.

Hraby struck out six Titans, walked none and none of the four runs charged to him were earned.

Westboro again did well at putting constant pressure on Tomahawk’s pitching and defense, scoring in six innings. The Trojans scored three runs on two hits in the top of the first inning and never trailed.

Connor Westfall had three hits, while Marshall Westfall and Braxton Weissmiller had two apiece as part of Westboro’s 15-hit attack. Westfall and Weissmiller had three RBIs each.

Tomahawk countered Westboro’s three-run first with two runs in the bottom half, but the Trojans separated themselves from the Titans after that. Marshall Westfall was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Weissmiller drove in a run with a ground ball for a 5-2 lead in the second. Weissmiller’s sacrifice fly in the fourth made it 6-3.

A three-run fifth broke it open. It started with hits from Connor Westfall and Marcus Klemm. After two strikeouts, Hraby had a clutch RBI single and Marshall Westfall knocked in two with his base hit. Butch Wiegel hit a two-run single in the seventh and Weissmiller singled in a run in the ninth.

Tomahawk fell to 0-3 in the league standings. The Titans will be at Rib Lake for a 7:30 p.m. first pitch on Friday.