WIAA DIV. 2 BASEBALL SECTIONAL - Big inning never comes as Mosinee knocks out Raiders
The top three batters in Mosinee’s batting order went a combined seven for nine, drew three walks and scored all seven of the Indians’ runs in their 7-2 win over Medford Tuesday morning in a WIAA Division 2 baseball sectional semifinal played in Merrill.
The rubber match for the season between Great Northern Conference rivals was led by Mosinee from start to finish, but it was within reach for the Raiders until the bottom of the sixth when the Indians put up their second three-spot of the game to open up their five-run advantage.
Ultimately, timely hitting was the difference, Medford head coach Chandler Schmidt said after the game along with some of the breaks of baseball, where some hard-hit balls by Medford were caught, while some soft contact by Mosinee turned into hits.
The somewhat surprising run to sectionals for the fifth-seeded Raiders ended with a 14-10 overall record for the season. Three-seed Mosinee pushed the sectional’s favorite, La Crosse Aquinas, but lost 6-5 to the Blugolds (23-3) in the championship game Tuesday afternoon and finished 16-7.
Aquinas won the other semifinal 2-1 over Prescott (21-5). That game ended in stunning fashion as Cardinal Cole Platson was ruled to have stepped out of the batter’s box while fouling off a pitch for the game’s final out with two runners on base at the time.
The Medford-Mosinee semifinal had some key twists and turns early. But a three-run bottom of the first inning for the Indians was a tone-setter the Raiders never really recovered from.
Elliot Yirkovsky walked, Brady Lokken singled and Carter Fandrey walked to put Medford starting pitcher Hayden Strebig and the defense in an immediate jam. Treve Stoffel singled in Yirkovsky. Sebastian Anderson hit a potential doubleplay ball to short. Medford got one out, but an errant throw allowed two more runs to score. The Indians loaded the bases again before Strebig caught a pop-up hit by number-nine batter Tyler Baars to finally end the inning.
The Raiders had a great chance to answer in the top of the second inning but, unfortunately, the rally started with two outs. Sam Hierlmeier singled to left and stole second base. Nick Krause was hit by a Noah Nechuta pitch and Charlie Gierl walked to load the bases for Evan Wilkins, who also walked to drive in a run. The inning ended, however, when Ryder Kraschnewski took a third strike call the Raiders’ dugout did not agree with, but, of course, could do nothing about.
The game could’ve gotten away from Medford quickly in the bottom half. Again, Mosinee’s top three in the order got on with Yirkovsky reaching on an error, Lokken legging out an infield and Fandrey dropping down a perfect bunt down the third-base line for a hit.
Stoffel then hit a missile, but it went right into the glove of Medford third baseman Will Wojcik, who then doubled off Yirkovsky. Anderson grounded into a fielder’s choice and Medford got out of the inning still only down 3-1.
Fandrey, though, hit a two-out double to deep rightfield to score Yirkovsky in the fourth. The Raiders got that run back in the fifth, again with two outs. Parker Lissner doubled down the leftfield line and scored on Evan Czarnezki’s base hit. Czarnezki got to second on the throw home. Strebig punched an opposite-field single to left, but courtesy runner Sawyer Elsner had to hold at third. Nechuta ended the inning by getting Restyn Kraschnewski to pop up on the infield.
The Raiders got out of the fifth with another double play, but they weren’t as fortunate in the sixth. Baars singled, Yirkovsky bunted for a hit and Fandrey hit a one-out RBI single. Stoffel added a sacrifice fly and Andersen singled in Mosinee’s seventh run.
Strebig settled in during the middle of the game, but didn’t start out quite as sharp as he’d been in his previous two tournament starts. He struck out two, walked five and allowed 10 hits in 5.1 innings. Gierl allowed a hit while getting the last two outs.
Nechuta went six innings while picking up his second win over Medford this spring. He struck out five and walked two. He allowed seven hits and both of Medford’s runs against him were earned. Kaden Kolodziej pitched the seventh, allowing a hit and a walk. He struck out one.
Ryder Kraschnewski and Lissner both had two hits for the Raiders. Yirkovsky was two for two with two walks and three runs scored for Mosinee. Lokken was two for four and scored twice. Fandrey was three for three with a walk, two runs batted in and two runs scored.
Four seniors played their final games in Medford uniforms –– Lissner, Gierl, Hierlmeier and Wilkins.
“That senior class, they’re always going to leave a mark on my life personally,” Schmidt said after Medford’s regional final win Thursday. “Starting from the top with Parker, he’s been a heck of a leader all year. Wilkins, Sammy, Chuck, all of them have just stepped up over and over and they’ve really taken this team by storm.”
