This story is sponsored by Total Electric
By Steve Pilz
For MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MERRILL – The Marshfield Chaparrals amateur baseball team is getting a little methodical as they dismantle each opponent that they come up against. That continued Monday night as Marshfield downed the Merrill Rangers 8-2 at Merrill’s historic Athletic Park.
The Chaps, winners of their last 11 games and 11-1 overall this summer, have created a checklist of success. Their pitching staff has a collective ERA of under 2.00. Their defense has committed just 13 errors in 12 games, including just one last night against the Rangers. They’ve got 12 sacrifices, either by bunt or fly ball on the season.
Add in six extra-base hits, as they broke out the whooping stick against Merrill and the Chaps are on a tear that hasn’t been seen for several seasons.
Kyle Westhuis hit the first of three doubles as he reached with one out in the second inning and got knocked in by Jack Donahue with the first of his two singles. Donahue got thrown out trying to stretch to a double. Austin Palacek hit a triple, but was stranded at third as the Chaps grabbed the early 1-0 lead.
Merrill got all of its runs in the third inning on a bases-loaded, two-out, two-run single by Trevor Amundsen to make it 2-1.
That didn’t seem to sit too well with Marshfield pitcher Bobby Pilz, who faced just 25 batters in the next seven innings and allowed just three more hits. He ran his season record to 4-0 and his ERA sits at 1.89.
”Bobby was hitting his spots tonight,” Chaparrals player/manager Justin Rayburn said. “He never gives up many hits, he just needs to keep his walks down, and he did that tonight. His control was outstanding.”
With Pilz back in command, the Chaps made their move in the fourth. After two were out, Donahue singled and Palacek walked. Jason Kurth mauled a pitch to right-center for a three-run homer and the Chaps led 4-2.
That wasn’t all. Austin Littman singled and Rayburn reached on an error. Both runners were able to move up on a wild pitch and McDonald drove them in with a single, making it 6-2.
After tripling in the first and singling in the fourth, McDonald doubled in the seventh and scored on Westhuis’ fly ball to center to give Marshfield a 7-2 lead.
Sam Schwanebeck added a sacrifice fly in the ninth, scoring Rayburn with the Chaparrals final run.
Pilz struck out two of the four batters he faced in the ninth to close the door.
All nine batters for the Chaps had at least one hit, including six for extra bases.
“The nice thing about our lineup is that they’re really aren’t any holes in it,” Rayburn said. “We could plug any of these guys into any spot in the order.”
The Chaparrals play their next game at Spirit on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
Chaparrals 8, Rangers 2
Marshfield 010 500 101 – 8 15 1
Merrill 020 000 000 – 2 8 2
WP: Bobby Pilz. LP: Shawn Schultz.
SO: Pilz (9inn.) 7; Schultz (4 inn.) 5, Dylan Schielke (4 inn.) 3, Justin Pyan (1 inn.). BB: Pilz 2; Schultz 1.
Top hitters: M, Nate McDonald 4×5, 3B, 2B, 2 RBIs; Austin Littmann 3×5, 2B; Jack Donahue 2×4, RBI; Jason Kurth HR, 3 RBIs; Austin Palacek 3B; Kyle Westhuis 2B, RBI.
Records: Marshfield 11-1; Merrill not reported.