This story is sponsored by: High Street Salon, Spa & Travel
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield baseball team is all about the drama.
For the third straight home game, the Tigers scored the winning run in their last at-bat. On Thursday, Elliot Ashbeck singled to score Austin Littmann with the winning the run in the bottom of the seventh inning as Marshfield edged D.C. Everest 3-2 in a Wisconsin Valley Conference game at Reeths Field.
The Tigers, who rallied late to beat Merrill and Wausau East in their last two home games, trailed 2-0 after two innings before coming back yet again.
Ashbeck had an RBI single and Jeron Hiller had a sacrifice fly to plate a pair of runs in the third inning and tie the game at 2-2.
The score remained that way until the bottom of the seventh when Littmann reached on an error with one out. He stole second, Daulton Varsho walked, and Ashbeck delivered a hard grounder past D.C. Everest third baseman Caleb Kell. The throw to home from left fielder Wyatt Brown was up the first base line as Littmann scored standing up.
“That was a big hit,” Marshfield coach Mark Zee said. “When Austin gets on, we’re stealing him, it’s as simple as that. Austin’s fast, maybe the fastest guy in the conference when it comes to baseball. I was lucky that he was on second base with the hit to left field. The throw was up the line, but still, we had the right guy on – and the right guy up. We like the odds in that situation.”
Bo Howard went the distance on the mound for the Tigers, striking out 10. He walked seven and allowed six hits, but worked his way out of a number of jams, stranding 10 runners – six in scoring position.
“Bo’s such a competitive and just never gives in,” Zee said. “He keeps his composure out there. That’s pretty typical that he’s walking guys, but he’s not giving up very many earned runs. He threw a lot of pitches. He wanted to go back out there in the seventh and we were hesitant, but now he’s going to have to take some time off. He needs his arm to rest.”
The win was crucial for Marshfield and its chances to compete for the Wisconsin Valley Conference title. The Tigers improve to 8-4 and 4-1 in the conference and knock D.C. Everest back to 7-3 and 2-2 in the WVC. Marshfield remains one-half game behind Stevens Point, with a matchup at Point set for next Tuesday.
“We needed this one tonight and come out with a higher level of intensity and focus, and I think they did,” Zee said. “They got on us a little but we just kept battling back.”
Ashbeck finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Littmann was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored for Marshfield.
Alex Tarras had two of Everest’s six hits.
Tigers 3, Evergreens 2
D.C. Everest 110 000 0 – 2 6 3
Marshfield 002 000 1 – 3 5 2
WP: Bo Howard. LP: Jared Hoekstra.
SO: Hoekstra 8; Howard 10. BB: Hoekstra 2; Howard 7.
Top hitters: DCE, Alex Tarras 2×4, 2B. M, Austin Littmann 2×4, 2 runs, SB; Elliot Ashbeck 3×4, 2 RBIs.
Records: D.C. Everest 7-3, 2-2 Wisconsin Valley Conference; Marshfield 8-4, 4-1 WVC.