This story is sponsored by: All Insurance of Marshfield
By Steve Pilz
For MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield Chaparrals amateur baseball team hosted the perennially strong Eau Claire Cavaliers on Wednesday night at Marshfield’s Jack Hackman Field.
In what was an entertaining, albeit somewhat sloppy affair – the teams combined for six errors – the Cavs ended the Chaps’ 11-game winning streak downing the home team 9-7.
The Chaps (13-2) will look to get back to their winning ways Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. when they host the Everest Merchants at Hackman Field.
Chap starting pitcher Ryan Metz dug himself out of an early hole in the first. After a lead off singles by Jordan Wilson and Caleb Hurt, Tyler Herman reached on an infield error, but Wilson was gunned down at the plate trying to score.
A Texas-leaguer by Tom Mewhort loaded the bases before Adam Krewgewski lifted a sacrifice fly to center scoring Hurt. Metz wriggled off the hook after coaxing a fly ball from Cole Tyman to get out of the inning down just 1-0.
The Chaps answered right back when lead-off man Riley Erickson reached on a ball under the third baseman’s glove. Austin Littman was hit by a pitch to put runners at second and third. After a pair of infield fly ball outs, third baseman Luke Wirtz ripped a double to left-center putting the Chaps up 2-1.
Metz walked the first batter in the fifth and the next two singled, the latter on a bunt, to load the bases. After a strikeout, Wilson drew a bases-loaded walk for an RBI and a tie game.
A costly infield error yielded two more runs. After Herman was hit by a pitch, Mewhort got the fourth run of the inning home with a sacrifice fly. Herman was thrown out by Erickson trying to steal third, but the Cavs jumped out ahead 5-2.
Again, the Chaps answered back.
After Messerschmidt reached on an error, Erickson was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Littman reached on another Cavs’ error allowing Messerschmidt to score and the Chaps trailed just 5-3.
The Chaps batted all nine in the sixth when Justin Rayburn reached on yet another Cavs’ error. Jack Donahue singled, Bobby Pilz drove in Rayburn with a single of his own. Donahue and Pilz scored on a long single to right-center by Messerscmidt and the Chaps had regained the lead.
Littman reached on a one out Texas-league single and Sam Schwanebeck drove in Messerschmidt on a ball deep in the hole at short that the shortstop couldn’t make a play on, and Marshfield led 7-5.
Hunter Korger relieved Metz after the starter’s five innings of work. Metz gave up just five hits striking out two and walking three. Only two of the five runs he allowed were earned.
Korger made quick work of the Cavs going 1-2-3 in both the sixth and seventh innings before the Cavs finally got to him in the eighth.
Wilson led off with an infield single. After a fly-out, Herman cracked a double to the fence in center, scoring Wilson. After another fly ball-out Krewgewski was hit by a pitch, before Tyman ripped a deep triple to left-center to put the Cavs back up 8-7.
The Chaps squandered back-to-back lead-off singles in the eighth by Erickson and Nate McDonald with a pick-off at third and an inning-ending double play.
The Cavs got a single run in the ninth off the Chaps third pitcher of the night, Noah Panzer, for a 9-7 lead.
The Chaps had the tying runs on base when Donahue hit a two-out single and Pilz reached via a base on balls. That’s as far as they would get as reliever Lucas Gobrecht slammed the door for the win in relief of starter Paul Petit.
“We hit the ball well,” said Marshfield player/manager Rayburn, “but our defense hasn’t been as good as it was earlier this summer. We have had a few costly errors that we need to clean up. If we keep hitting like this and tighten up the defense, we’ll be in good shape.”
Cavaliers 9, Chaparrals 7
Eau Claire 100 040 031 – 9 10 4
Marshfield 200 014 000 – 7 11 2
WP: Lucas Gobrecht. LP: Hunter Korger.
SO: Paul Petit (6 inn.) 4, Gobrecht (3 inn.) 2; Ryan Metz (5 inn.) 2, Korger (3 inn.) 1, Noah Panzer (1 inn.) 1. BB: Gobrecht 1. Metz 3, Korger 1.
Top hitters: EC, Kole Lekvin 2×4, 2B; Jordan Wilson 2×4, RBI; Tyler Herman 1×3, 2B, RBI; Cole Tyman 1×3, 3B, RBI. M, Jack Donahue 3×4; Luke Wirtz 2×5, 2B, 2 RBIs; Austin Littman 2×4; Bobby Pilz 1×3, RBI; Lucius Messerschmidt 2 RBIs, 2 runs.
Records: Marshfield 13-2; Eau Claire not reported.