This story is sponsored by: Curves of Marshfield
By Steve Pilz
For MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – Three strong pitching performances provided the Marshfield Chaparrals amateur baseball team with a win on opening day of their Dairyland League schedule Sunday afternoon at Jack Hackman Field as they downed the Rib Lake Osprey 6-1.
Chaparrals starter Bobby Pilz gave up a bunt single to Austin Ewan to open the game. That was followed by a single by Jeff Ziembo and a walk to Jake Brehm. After an infield pop-up, the Osprey scored an un-earned run on a Marshfield error but also got a force-out on the infield. Catcher Riley Erickson ended the inning by throwing out an attempted base stealer at second.
The Chaps got all the runs they needed in the second inning when Luke Wirtz started things off with a walk. Kyle Westhuis singled, as did Nate McDonald, loading the bases. After a pop-up, Noah Panzer drove in a run when he was hit by a pitch. Austin Littman lashed a one-out single to score a pair and two batters later Erickson drove in Panzer with a single putting the Chaps up 4-1.
After a scoreless Osprey third inning, Westhuis drilled a double and scored on Lucius Messerschmidt’s RBI single giving the Chaps a 5-1 lead.
Pilz gave up just two more singles in his six innings of work, striking out five and walking three. He exited having thrown 58 strikes in his 93 pitches.
Chaps newcomer Hunter Korger relieved Pilz in the seventh and put up two zeros in his two innings, striking out a pair and walking one.
Erickson singled in the eighth with one out and moved to second when Sam Schwanebeck was hit by a pitch. A ground-out to the pitcher got Erickson to third and he scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-1.
Another Chaparrals newcomer, Kade Lancour, showed off a lively arm with a couple strikeouts in the ninth to send the Osprey home with their first loss.
“Bobby (Pilz) settled in after the first and really pitched well for us,” said Chaparrals manger Justin Rayburn. “I thought we played clean baseball. One error on a tough play in Game 1 (of the season) is a solid defensive effort.”
Messerschmidt went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Erickson was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Westhuis went 2-for-5 with a double.
The Chaparrals next game is Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Jack Hackman Field.
Chaparrals 6, Osprey 1
Rib Lake 100 000 000 – 1 4 2
Marshfield 041 000 01x – 6 11 1
WP: Bobby Pilz. LP: Jon Dallman.
SO: Pilz (6 inn.) 5, Hunter Korger (2 inn.) 2, Kade Lancour (1 inn.) 2; Dallman 4. BB: Pilz 3, Korger 1; Dallman 1.
Records: Marshfield 1-0; Rib Lake 0-1.