Early exit for Abby/Colby baseball

Even after the ball sailed over the fence, staying just fair of the left field foul pole, one could have probably been forgiven for still harboring a feeling of “too-little-too-late” on Friday afternoon at Red Arrow Park. After all, the co-op trailed 7-2 to six-seeded Antigo even after the tworun blast by Brandon Diedrich and outside of the home-run, the offense had done little to inspire much hope of a comeback over the first three innings. In a win-or-go-home game, one might have expected some mild jubilation from the home team, given the situation.

But instead, exuberant cheers and whoops came from the Abby/Colby bench as they rushed out to meet Diedrich as he rounded the bases. The junior celebrated with the mob that greeted him at home plate, bombarded with head slaps and high fives, the scoreboard in centerfield momentarily forgotten.

Of course, anyone who was familiar with the 2022 Abby/Colby baseball club would be unsurprised by the response. If they had proved anything over the season, it was that they believed that they were never truly out of any game, WIAA playoffs or not. The home-run was just the start, something to build off of, not a one-off fluke. And while they would eventually fall just short, finding themselves on the short end of a 10-8 final, the co-op would put together a comeback effort to be proud of.

It was very much a game that could have turned out differently, had the ball bounced the co-op’s way once or twice. The Antigo Red Robins’ effort was fueled by a devastating second inning, where they scored all six of their runs with two outs.

Co-op starter Mateo Lopez had sailed through the top of the Red Robins’ lineup with relative ease, giving up only a bunt single through the first six batters. Even after giving up another single, it still felt likely that the co-op would get out of the inning unscathed. They certainly had an opportunity, as Lopez induced a playable ground ball in the very next at-bat. It was there that things would start to unravel for the co-op, as an error on the play resulted in a run coming home for Antigo.

Even more importantly, however, was it meant the top of the second would continue, and the Red Rob- ins would take advantage. A double to deep right center, another error, and two HBPs with the bases loaded ended Lopez’s game early. Diedrich would take the mound in relief, but a dribbler in the infi eld would bring home the sixth run charged to Lopez, all of which were unearned. There was potential for it to get even worse for the co-op, as another slow roller down the third base line looked like trouble. However, a charging Lopez, who had been moved to third, made an excellent play on the ball and launched it across the field to record the elusive final out of the inning.

The co-op would go down by another run in the third. Three consecutive singles by Antigo brought home the seventh run scored by the Red Robins with two outs. Even after Diedrich’s home-run in the bottom of the inning, the situation was dire for the third-seeded Abby/Colby club. But as they had in several games earlier in the season, the co-op stayed the course, waiting for their chance to get back into the game.

“We regained our composure,” head coach Ryan Bargender said. “We’ve been down in games before and we just talked about having good at bats and stringing good at bats together.”

They did just that in the fifth. The top of the order led off the inning with a pair of singles and a walk that would load the bases for Jaxon Polivka. He drew another walk, bringing JV Castillo home for the first run of the inning. It would be the second of four consecutive walks, as Blake Bargender and Evan Reis followed Polivka with walks of their own. With only one out recorded and the bases remaining loaded, suddenly the co-op was back in the game. Carlos Lara came through for the home team, slapping a line drive that stayed just fair along the leftfield line, driving in two and tying the game, 7-7.

That would be the closest the co-op would get to claiming the lead in the game. A three-run sixth punctuated with timely hits, a wild pitch, and a mental error gave Antigo a lead that they did not relinquish. The co-op’s rally in the seventh, headed by another RBI by Lara, came up short and the Marawood-North champions were ousted from the playoffs in the first round, 10-8.

Of the ten runs that were surrendered by the coop, only one was recorded as an earned run. The five errors committed by the Abby/Colby defense were the difference makers in an otherwise close game. Lopez went one-and-two-thirds innings for the coop, giving up six runs on three hits while striking out one and walking one. Diedrich went five-and-athird innings in relief, giving up four runs on seven hits. He struck out two and walked two.

Lara’s two RBI hits and Diedrich’s long ball led the co-op’s offense. Lopez, Payton Schreiber, Blake Bargender and Nick Olvera also contributed singles.

The co-op may have had an early first round exit, but much of its conference championship team will be returning next year.

“We’ll let this one sting awhile, but getting better starts tomorrow,” coach Bargender stated after the loss. “We kind of just said, ‘hey, remember this feeling and that should be the chip on your shoulder when your alarm goes off in the morning to go work out.’” The only member who does not have the potential to be on next year’s team is senior Nick Olvera. Olvera, who was second-team all conference last year, was positioned to be the co-op’s number one starting pitcher before the season began. However, the senior sustained a leg injury earlier in the year, which cost him half of his final campaign.

“He’s had to battle all the way,” coach Bargender said when asked about Olvera’s contributions to the team. “[He] was able to contribute some at first base with Brandon out for two weeks and then at second base. Proud of the kid, he hung in there. He easily could have put his head down after he fractured his leg, but he contributed in any way that he could.”

While the loss may be difficult to stomach now, many of the members of the team are already looking forward to the next challenge, whether that be summer baseball leagues or the 2023 season.