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WESTON – The Marshfield Post 54 Legion baseball team is heading to state after winning a semifinal matchup over Plover 2-1 at the Class AAA American Legion Baseball Regional on Saturday at Simon Field at D.C. Everest High School.
Wisconsin Rapids defeated Marshfield 8-1 in the regional championship game, but with Wisconsin Rapids hosting the Class AAA state tournament next week, the runner-up also earns a spot as the Regional 2 representative.
Marshfield last reached the state tournament in 2022, placing third with a 3-2 record.
Owen Griesbach was masterful on the mound for the Blue Devils against Plover, going in the distance and allowing just four hits and one walk, and finished with three strikeouts.
Plover scored its only run in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Chase Geyer. From there, Griesbach put up zeroes and Marshfield’s offense did just enough.
Marshfield tied it up in the third. Jakob Sadowska led off with a single, moved up to second on an error on the play, and took third on a groundout before Chase Robinson knocked him home to make it 1-1.
The Blue Devils took the lead in the fourth as Adam Gilbertson led off with a single, went to second on a passed ball, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on a sac fly by Cain Toufar.
That would be it as Griesbach worked around an error in the fourth inning with a double play, and stranded two runners in the seventh with a strikeout to end it.
Wisconsin Rapids opened up a big lead early in the championship game, scoring twice in the first and third innings.
The Rangers (21-9) added four more in the fifth as Kaleb Ellis, Canon Plawman, Braden Lewis and Josh Dekarske had RBI singles to make it 8-0.
Marshfield scored its only run in the sixth as Chase Robinson walked, Emmitt Konieczny followed with a single, and after a groundout, Adam Gilbertson stroked a single to center to plate Robinson. Gilbertson finished with two of the Blue Devils’ six hits in the loss.
Both Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids will play in the state tournament that begins Tuesday at Lincoln High School. Marshfield will take on Eau Claire at 4 p.m. and Wisconsin Rapids will play Oshkosh at 7:30 p.m.
Blue Devils 2, Black Sox 1
Marshfield 001 100 0 – 2 9 1
Plover 100 000 0 – 1 4 1
WP: Owen Griesbach. LP: Lucas Haemmerle.
SO: Griesbach 3; Haemmerle (4 1/3 inn.) 3, Darren Grabski (2 2/3 inn.) 0. BB: Griesbach 1; Haemmerle 3, Grabski 0.
Top hitters: M, Griesebach 2×4; Aden Cherney 2×2; Jakob Sadowska 3×3, run; Chase Robinson 1×4, RBI; Cain Toufar RBI. P, Chase Geyer RBI.
Records: Marshfield 19-19; Plover 24-14.
Rangers 8, Blue Devils 1
Marshfield 000 001 0 – 1 6 2
Wisconsin Rapids 202 040 x – 8 8 0
WP: Kaleb Ellis. LP: Nathan Richardson.
SO: Richardson (3 inn.) 1, Mac Konieczny (1 1/3 inn.) 1, Tyler Kremer (1 2/3 inn.) 2; Ellis (4 2/3 inn.) 2, Trevor Linzmeier (1 1/3 inn.) 0, Josh Dekarske (1 inn.) 0. BB: Richardson 1, M. Konieczny 1, Kremer 1; Ellis 2, Linzmeier 1, Dekarske 0.
Top hitters: M, Adam Gilbertson 2×3, RBI. WR, Brett Simonsen 2×3, 3B, 2 runs; Ellis 2×4, 2B, 3 runs, RBI; Canon Plawman 2×3, 2 runs, 2 RBI; Braden Lewis 2 RBI.
Records: Marshfield 19-20; Wisconsin Rapids 21-9.
Class AAA American Legion Baseball Regional
July 24-27, at Simon Field, D.C. Everest High School
Wednesday, July 24
Game 3: Marshfield 9, Wisconsin Rapids 1
Game 2: Wausau 6, Stevens Point 3
Game 1: Plover 3, D.C. Everest 1
Thursday, July 25
Game 4: Stevens Point 6, D.C. Everest 0
Game 5: Wisconsin Rapids 5, Plover 1
Game 6: Marshfield 5, Wausau 4
Friday, July 26
Game 7: Wisconsin Rapids 9, Stevens Point 2
Game 8: Plover 7, Wausau 3
Game 9: Wisconsin Rapids 4, Marshfield 3
Saturday, July 27
Game 10: Marshfield 2, Plover 1
Game 11: Wisconsin Rapids 8, Marshfield 1
Wisconsin Rapids (host team) and Marshfield (Regional representative) qualify for Class AAA State Tournament at Wisconsin Rapids, July 30-Aug. 3