This story is sponsored by: The Marshfield Tiger Booster Club
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NEKOOSA – With both teams already securing spots in the upcoming state tournament, the Plover and Marshfield Junior American Legion baseball teams had to settle who would be the 17U Regional champion.
In a wild, offensive game, Plover scored four times in the bottom of the fifth inning to break open a tie game and went on to win 11-7 to claim the regional title on Monday afternoon.
Plover (32-2) will play Bay Port at 1:30 p.m. and Marshfield (21-7) will take on Chippewa Falls at 7 p.m. Friday as the 17U State Legion Baseball Tournament opens up at Jack Hackman Field in Marshfield. The double-elimination tournament continues through Monday.
Marshfield took an early 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning. Max Heller and Nick Urban delivered RBI singles to give the Blue Devils the early lead.
Plover came back with four runs in the bottom of the frame before Marshfield answered that with a four-spot in the fourth to regain the lead.
Urban singled in Carsten Jirschele and Will Fetting, and Riley Bauman followed with a two-run home run to put the Blue Devils on top 6-4.
Again Plover immediately struck back, scoring three times in the bottom of the frame to regain the lead at 7-6.
Marshfield tied the game in the fifth. Parker Weik walked, stole second and third, and scored on a groundout by Chase Higgins to knot the score at 7-7.
Plover took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth, hitting for the cycle in the inning. A double, followed by a triple, put the Black Sox on top. After an error and a strikeout, Plover smacked a three-run home to make it 11-7.
Marshfield managed to get two runners on in the sixth and the leadoff hitter reached in the seventh, but could not plate any more runs and lost to Plover for the sixth time in as many games this season.
Urban, Logan Homolka and Bauman each finished with two hits, with Urban knocking in three runs and Bauman a pair on the home run.
17U Regional Championship
July 15, at Nekoosa
Black Sox 11, Blue Devils 7
Marshfield 020 410 0 – 7 10 2
Plover 040 340 x – 11 11 0
Plover roster not reported.
LP: Chase Higgins.
SO: Mason Pavloski (2 inn.) 0, Higgins (3 inn.) 1, Cody Donahue (1 inn.) 0. BB: Pavloski 2, Higgins 2, Donahue 2.
Top hitters: M, Nick Urban 2×3, 3 RBIs; Logan Homolka, 2×4, 2B; Riley Bauman 2×4, HR, 2 RBIs; Ky Swanson 2B.
Records: Plover 32-2; Marshfield 21-7.