Titans carry offensive clout in win over Trojans
DAIRYLAND LEAGUE DIVISION B
When they got base runners, the Tomahawk Titans got the hits they needed to drive them in Sunday in a 12-4 Dairyland League win over the host Westboro Trojans.
Tomahawk never trailed, scoring four times in the first inning, four more times in the fourth and added three runs in the fifth to build an insurmountable 11-2 lead and keep the Trojans winless in league play.
The Titans completed a season sweep of Westboro and improved to 2-7 in Division B of the league standings, while Westboro fell to 0-8.
Westboro actually outhit Tomahawk 13-12, getting two hits apiece from Dayne Marlenga, Marshall Westfall, Marcus Klemm and Colby Elsner. The Titans just made more efficient use of theirs.
Bad luck more than anything hurt Westboro in the top of the first when Tomahawk’s Jacob Kahle dropped a tworun, two-out bloop double down the leftfi eld line and Justin Jarvensivu bounced a bad-hop single past shortstop Marshall Westfall to score the fourth run of the inning.
Westboro got two back in the bottom half. Dayne Marlenga singled and Dustin Freeman drew a one-out walk. Tomahawk pitcher Eli Wurl didn’t try for a double play on a comebacker hit by Butch Wiegel, simply taking the out at first, but then a throwing error to second allowed Marlenga to score. Westfall then doubled to score Freeman.
Westboro starter Payton Schreiber threw two scoreless innings to keep it close, but the Titans got to him in the fourth, loading the bases with no outs on a walk, a hit batter and a single. Cody Brietzke doubled two runners in, Brady Martin hit a sacrifice fly and Jarvensivu hit a sacrifice fly off Wiegel to make it 8-2.
A hit and two walks loaded the bases in the fifth for the Titans, who got a sacrifi ce fly from Brietzke and a triple to deep center by Martin to extend the margin to nine.
Westfall picked up two more runs batted in with a single in the bottom of the fifth, driving in Freeman and Wiegel.
Westboro centerfielder Dayne Marlenga makes a nice running catch to retire Tomahawk’s Brady Martin and hold him to a fourth-inning sacrifice fly during Sunday’s 12-4 loss.
Tomahawk closed the scoring by stringing together singles from Jarvensivu, Wurl and Nick Kahle for a run in the seventh.
Brant Johnson had the best luck of Westboro’s pitchers, settling things down after taking over for Wiegel with two outs in the fifth. He got out of a basesloaded jam in the sixth. Schreiber lasted 3.1 innings to start the game and Wiegel got four outs.
Wurl struck out five batters and walked six for Tomahawk.
Westboro looks to break into the win column this Sunday with a noon doubleheader at Pittsville. The River Bandits were in 2-3 league play heading into a Wednesday night game at Marshfield.
