This story is sponsored by: Sternweis & Sons
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield Columbus Catholic baseball team has found a knack for finding a way to win.
The Dons overcame a two-run deficit, scoring multiple runs in the three of their final four at-bats, and pulled out a 7-3 win over Gilman in a Cloverbelt Conference East Division matchup on Tuesday at Reeths Field.
The win is Columbus Catholic’s third in a row as it improves to 9-1 overall and remains perfect in the conference at 5-0.
Columbus Catholic coach Jared Krasselt said the Dons have been far from perfect, but he’s happy with the way the team is progressing as it hits the midway point of the season.
“We haven’t been playing our best, but it’s better to have it that way when you are winning,” Krasselt said. “It feels better than the other way where you are playing well and you just can’t win. It’s on me to get these guys going and hit our peak at the end of the season.”
Gilman led 2-0 after 2½ innings before the Dons got their offense going.
An error and a sacrifice fly by Cy Becker led to a pair of runs and tied the game at 2-2. The score held until the fifth when Columbus rallied with two outs.
Pinch runner Drew Lang and Emmitt Konieczny scored on a Becker single, and Becker made things happen on the base paths after that. The senior stole second and when the errant throw rolled into center field, he never stopped and raced home to give the Dons a 5-2 lead.
Columbus added two more insurance runs in the sixth on an RBI single by Blake Jakobi and a run-scoring double by Mac Konieczny, who along with Emmitt Konieczny and Carter Sommer combined for six of the Dons’ 10 hits.
Freshman Carson Eckes did the rest on the mound for the Dons, allowing just a single run in three innings of relief to earn the win for Columbus. Jakobi started, giving up two runs in four innings with six strikeouts.
“Carson has such whacky movement on the ball, natural cut, natural tail, as a pitcher that’s awesome,” Krasselt said. “It was only his second outing so we had to get him some more innings. He came in a threw strikes. He got in a zone and we just have to make better plays behind him.”
The two teams will play again Thursday at Gilman High School.
Dons 7, Pirates 3
Gilman 101 000 1 – 3 8 3
Columbus Catholic 002 032 x – 7 10 2
WP: Carson Eckes. LP: Dawson Grunseth.
SO: Grunseth (5 inn.) 5, Dawson Robinson (1 inn.) 0; Blake Jakobi (4 inn.) 6, Eckes (3 inn.) 2. BB: Grunseth 2, Robinson 0; Jakobi 2, Eckes 1.
Top hitters: G, Joey Syryczuk 3×4, RBI; Adam Draeger 2×3, run. CC, Jakobi 1×3, 2 runs, RBI; Mac Konieczny 2×3, 2B, RBI; Emmitt Konieczny 2×3, RBI; Cy Becker 1×2, 3 RBI; Carter Sommer 2×3, run.
Records: Gilman 2-5, 1-4 Cloverbelt Conference East Division; Columbus Catholic 9-1, 5-0 Cloverbelt Conference East Division.