This story is sponsored by: All Insurance of Marshfield
By Steve Pilz
For MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield Chaparrals amateur baseball team concluded their Dairyland League schedule Monday night at Jack Hackman Field with a 7-4 win over the Minocqua Wood Ducks.
The Chaps (16-2) conclude their home schedule Wednesday night against Everest at 7:30 p.m. for Wenzel Farm Fan Appreciation Night. They play the Sparta Miller on Friday evening in Sparta before completing their regular season next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Plover. Marshfield finishes the Dairyland League schedule with just one loss, that coming in an early-season game against Wausau.
Winning their 16th game of the season didn’t look so likely in the first inning when the Wood Ducks put up four runs.
After a leadoff single by Sam Killian, Jacob Hodgdon walked. Peter Aerts smaked a single just inside the third base bag for an RBI, Dakota See reached on catcher-interference, and Caleb Menzia drilled a pitch into the ground that hopped over the Chaps third baseman, scoring Hodgdon. Aerts scored when the ball was bobbled making it 4-0.
Austin Littman got the ball rolling for Marshfield with a one out-walk in the third frame. Justin Rayburn moved him up with a single and Riley Erickson bashed a double to left-center. Erickson scored on a Jack Donahue grounder that the shortstop couldn’t handle and the Chaps were back in it at 4-3
That may have made Chap starter Bobby Pilz breathe a little easier as he began to cruise after the troublesome first.
After going 1-2-3 in the second and facing four batters in the third and fourth, the Chaps tied the game in the fourth when Sam Schwanebeck led off with a single. After an out, Austin Palacek singled. Littman drove in Schwanebeck with a fielder’s choice ground out but the game was tied.
Pilz faced just four more batters in the fifth.
Erickson led off the Chaps’ fifth with a walk but was gunned down trying to advance on a ball in the dirt. Donahue singled, as did Nate McDonald. Schwanebeck sent Pilz home a winner with a towering shot to left that got over the fence for Schwanbeck’s second homer of the season and his 12th, 13th and 14th RBIs.
“Coach Rayburn always says when you’re struggling, swing hard in case you hit the ball,” said Schwanebeck, explaining his home run. “Although we didn’t have the cleanest game, we did enough to get the win. The pitchers (Pilz and Kade Lancour) weren’t as sharp as usual but they got us through when they had to. We got the bats going when we had to, as well.”
Pilz came into the game with a 1.99 ERA in 40 2/3 innings pitched and he left after the sixth inning with his sixth win of the year against zero losses. He allowed just one hit after the first inning, struck out six and walked four.
Lancour pitched the last three innings, registering his fourth save of the season, striking out two, walking one and yielding just two hits.
“We had too many errors (five) and walks (five),” Rayburn said. “It was a sloppy win but a sloppy win is better than a pretty loss.”
McDonald and Rayburn each had three hits on the night and Schwanebeck two, including his big blast in the fifth.
Chaparrals 7, Wood Ducks 4
Minocqua 400 000 000 – 4 6 3
Marshfield 003 130 00x – 7 10 5
WP: Bobby Pilz. LP: Trevor Rosczewski. SV: Kade Lancour.
SO: Rosczewski (8 inn.) 4; Pilz (6inn.) 6, Lancour (3 inn.) 2. BB: Rosczewski 3; Pilz 4, Lancour 1.
Top hitters: MIN, Peter Aerts 2×3, RBI. MAR, Nate McDonald 3×4; Justin Rayburn 3×5; Sam Schwanebeck 2×4, HR, 3 RBIs; Riley Erickson 1×3, 2B, 2 RBIs.
Records: Marshfield 16-2; Minoqua not reported.