Post 147 unable to crack Seymour’s defense in title round

Medford’s Post 147 squad found ways to win three thrilling one-run games and advance to the championship round of the Wisconsin American Legion Class AA state baseball tournament.

That’s where Seymour’s defense prevented Medford’s cardiac kids from pulling off any more lateinning heroics.

In an errorless effort behind starting pitcher Brandon Bates, Seymour’s Post 106 team edged Medford 3-2 to win the state championship Tuesday, completing a perfect 5-0 run through the fiveday tournament held in West Salem. Both of Medford’s defeats in the double-elimination tournament came against Seymour, who Post 147 needed to beat twice on Tuesday to win its first-ever state title.

Instead the team settled for the silver trophy and medals after its first-ever appearance in the final round since Medford established its program in the mid-2000s.

“There was a lot of great baseball this year at the AA state tournament,” Post 147 head coach Justin Hraby said. “I would say much better than last year

MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS

in Green Bay. Every win at this tourney was hardearned, especially for us. We had a great team with some really good kids. They played hard and really wanted to do some good things. They did that. First time ever Post 147 has been in the championship game. What a great accomplishment.”

In both losses, Seymour continually made defensive plays when it needed them to thwart Medford rallies, whether it was centerfielder Ethan Volz running down balls in the gaps or at the warning track in one case Tuesday, shortstop Braden DeBruin making plays deep in the hole, third baseman Colten Nieland gloving hard grounders down the line or first baseman Brady Poch scooping up seemingly every low throw.

The biggest defensive play, however, may have been turned in by second baseman Brandon Poch during the top of Tuesday’s sixth inning. With Seymour clinging to its 3-2 lead, Medford loaded the bases with no outs on Parker Lissner’s line-drive single to left, Tanner Hraby’s single up the middle and a perfect bunt single by Logan Baumgartner. Blake Bargender followed with a short liner that Poch caught just before it hit the ground and dou- bled Baumgartner off first base.

DeBruin then knocked down a hard-hit ground ball by Payton Schreiber and threw him out at first. Just like that, the rally was over. Medford went down in order in the top of the seventh, including another nice play deep in the hole by DeBruin on a grounder hit by Carson Carbaugh. The game ended on a hard line drive hit by Nick Steliga that went right at leftfielder Carson Staffeldt.

“Parker had a nice swing to get the sixth going and then Tanner lined one up the middle,” Justin Hraby said. “Logan laid down a great bunt. Then a bad break got us. That was the only place a liner could be hit and really have a chance to double someone off. Then the shortstop made a great play to save two runs after that. That was tough to come back from.”

Medford’s defense was better than it was in an 11-5 defeat to Seymour on Saturday, but a couple of shaky innings mid-game was the difference.

With Medford leading 2-1 going into the bottom of the fourth, a single and an error led to Nieland’s squeeze bunt that drove in the tying run. After Medford’s JV Castillo was caught stealing to end the top of the fifth, Volz led off the fifth by reaching on an infield single. An errant pickoff throw and a wild pitch put Volz at third with no outs and Brady Poch singled him in with the go-ahead run. After another one-out hit, Medford avoided further damage with Baumgartner turning a double play at third.

Post 147 struck first in the opening inning. Castillo walked, stole second, moved to third on Lissner’s grounder and scored on Hraby’s groundout. A solid breeze likely kept a drive by Castillo from going out of the park in the top of the third, then Medford nearly foiled a two-on, one-out jam in the bottom of the third when it got the lead runner at home on a double steal for the second out. But Staffeldt then came through with the only ball Seymour really hit hard off Steliga, a double to the gap in deep right-center, to drive in the tying run.

Medford got the lead back briefly in the top of the fourth when Hraby lined a double to that same gap in right-center and eventually scored on Schreiber’s seeing-eye single up the middle with two down.

“JV did a great job getting things going and then some great situational hitting by Parker and Tanner to get him in and get on the board right away,” Justin Hraby said. “That was a great way of making something out of nothing.

“Tanner’s double in the fourth was scorched. Payton had a great at-bat with an excellent two-strike approach to drive Tanner in.”

Steliga allowed eight hits in six innings, walked just one and struck out one. Bates, like his 4.1-inning stint on Saturday, was by no means overpowering but he threw strikes and let his defense work, allowing six hits, walking one and striking out one.

“Nick did exactly what he has done for us all high school and Legion season,” coach Hraby said. “Throw strikes, get ahead of hitters and get a lot of ground balls. He did everything we asked of him and gave us a great chance to win that game. Nick is a great competitor and was ready when he got the ball. Seymour played some really good baseball all weekend, especially defensively. One of the best performances I've seen.”

Hraby went two for three as Medford was outhit 8-7. Hraby made a run at tournament MVP honors, finishing second in the discussion behind Brandon Poch. Baumgartner, Castillo and Schreiber were also named to the All-Tournament team as Medford finished its summer at 14-7.

“I’m just going to remember playing baseball with my best friends who I’ve been playing with for the last, whatever, 10 years now,” Steliga said. “Although the outcome wasn’t the best, it was just really fun to have one last kind of hoo-rah with everybody. It’s been an absolute blast. It’s kinda nice. Legion isn’t quite as strict or intense as high school baseball is, so we’ve just been loose, having fun. It’s a really good time. The new guys from Abby fit in super well. We were like we were a whole team all along.”

“This will definitely be in the memory bank forever,” Tanner Hraby said. “It’s that last bang. Obviously we didn’t finish where we wanted to, but it’s still a great year for high school and Legion. We’ve had a great time, a lot of good guys. I think you could say we had the most fun out of any team here or at the regional. We just had a good time in the dugout, played loose and I think that actually helped.”

There is one more Legion game to play for the Hrabys who will play and coach for the Stars team in Sunday’s Wisconsin American Legion All-Star Game in Milwaukee following the Reds/Brewers game at American Family Field.

“I was proud of our boys’ performance this past week,” Justin Hraby said. “It is a grinder being stretched out over five days. They came ready to play through the heat and different game times. I am also proud of the fact that we were told that our team was very respectful and that our team played the game the right way. Says a lot about our kids and their families. Even though we came up short, we have a lot to be proud of.”