Red Sox give fight to the fish in State battle
By Ginna Young
The first Wisconsin Baseball Association (WBA) State appearance for the Cadott Red Sox in 41 years, may not have gone the way they wanted Aug. 16, but it was a memorable one, as was the season. After sweeping the Regionals the previous weekend, Cadott again faced off with the River Falls Fighting Fish, the same foe who ended the playoffs for the Sox last year.
A determined Red Sox team played a good game on the road at the quarterfinal, with the offense collecting 10 hits and the defense only allowing one error. It just wasn’t enough to overcome the opposition, as they racked up the runs and Cadott watched their season come to an end, 8-2.
The Sox scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, on an RBI double by Warren Bowe and an RBI single from Carter Hesselman, to bring the score to 4 to 2. River Falls then added four late runs, taking the victory at the last, in what was a close game.
“The veteran River Falls team was just better on Friday night,” said manager Rick Danielson. “I am extremely proud of our guys. They have worked hard all year. It’s a great group to have playing in Cadott.”
Zack Thiesse went just over five innings on the mound for Cadott, allowing 9 hits and 4 runs, while striking out 3. Gio Basile also was at the helm, pitching two innings, giving up 5 hits and 4 runs, and striking out 2 batters.
On the offensive side, Jonah Hanson, Jack Redwine and Ely Johnson each had 2 hits, with Jack Kein, Chad Kron, Bowe and Hesselman all notching a hit.
“We would like to thank our wonderful fans and all of our sponsors,” said Danielson. “The way that everyone helps fund and support the Red Sox, is incredible, so, thank you.”
The Sox finish the year with a 10-10 league record and overall record of 18-11, along with a WBA record of 2-1.
“With an average team age of less than 21 years old, this team figures to be around for years to come,” said Danielson. “The plan is to improve even more going into next year, and take another step.”
In 20 league games, leading on batting average, were Luke Erickson, .429; Zac Merritt, .424; Bowe, .350; Kron, .341; Kein, .327; Redwine, .316; Hesselman, .308; and Logan Burzynski, .300. For on-base percentage, leaders were Erickson, .563; Kein, .538; and Kron. 508; Coming in with the most RBIs, were Erickson, 15; Burzynski, 15; Hesselman, 14; and Hanson, 13. Leading in hits, were Erickson, 21; Burzynski, 21; Kein, 18; and Hanson, 17. Kron and Kein had the most runs, with 19, while most walks belonged to Kein, 20; Hanson, 15; Redwine 13; and Kron, 13.
Burzynski, Hanson and Kron all lead with 3 homeruns, as well as Johnson, with 2. Leading on doubles, were Kein and Burzynski, with 4, and Erickson and Sam Feck, who had 3.
Thiesse came up with 8 wins on the season, while Bowe had 2. Thiesse went 82.2 innings over the year, followed by Basile, with 18.1, and Bowe, with 12.1. Thiesse also led on strikeouts, with 64, with Basile notching 19 and Bowe punching out 16 batters.
The Sox also finished up the year, with plenty of awards under their belts from the Chippewa River Baseball League (CRBL): Thiesse, First Team All-CRBL Pitcher; Kein, First Team All-CRBL Second Base; Erickson All-CRBL Honrable Mention; and Erickson Gold Glove.
“Until next season...go Sox,” said Danielson.
