DAIRYLAND LEAGUE LARGE - Two big innings push Chaps past Whittlesey
DAIRYLAND LEAGUE LARGE
Marshfield’s Logan Homolka threw a complete-game five-hitter and hit a tworun double Sunday as part of a two-inning span that turned a scoreless pitcher’s duel with Whittlesey into a 10-1 rout in favor of the host Chaparrals.
The Chaparrals scored four runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to build an 8-0 lead. They coasted from there to improve to 4-3 in the Dairyland League’s Large Division. The Reds, who beat Marshfield 7-2 earlier in the season, fell to 4-5.
Homolka struck out seven Reds and walked only one, while giving up five singles. The only walk came to the first batter of the game, Nick Meyer. The Reds turned two hits into their only run in the sixth. Meyer hit a leadoff single and scored when Darren Leonhard looped an opposite-field single to leftfield.
The Reds only had one other real threat in the game, getting leadoff singles by Zach Haynes and Brandon Loertscher in the top of the fourth, but they didn’t hit a ball out of the infield after that and left two runners stranded.
The Chaps, who had struck out five times against Nick Retterath in the first three innings, came to life at the plate after that. Kenny Schultz drew a leadoff walk and Riley Bauman followed with a home run over the leftfield fence to produce the game’s first two runs. Homolka was hit by a pitch and, two outs later, scored on Ben Dietsche’s double. That ended Retterath’s outing on the mound. Will Lee greeted reliever Spike Alexander with a runscoring single that made it 4-0.
Retterath only allowed two hits, but he was charged with four earned runs while striking out six, walking two and hitting one.
Marshfield broke it wide open in the fifth. Isaiah Baierl drew a leadoff walk and Schultz legged out an infield hit. Homolka’s one-out double scored both and he was driven in by a Colin DeBoer base hit. Lee’s sacrifice fly later scored DeBoer.
Alexander lasted just two-thirds of an inning, allowing four runs, three of which were earned, with a strikeout and a walk.
Logan Baumgartner finished up the last 3.2 innings, allowing four hits, two unearned runs, three walks and a hit batter while striking out four. Cade Alexander had Whittlesey’s fifth hit.
Schultz, Homolka and DeBoer had two hits each for Marshfield.
The Reds are back in league action this Sunday, hosting the Wisconsin Rapids Redhawks for an 11 a.m. doubleheader at Mike Roiger Stadium.
