First-place Neillsville outlasts Spencer baseball

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MarshfieldAreaSports.com

NEILLSVILLE – Neillsville scored seven times in its final two at-bats, then held off a late rally to defeat Spencer 9-6 in a Cloverbelt Conference East Division baseball game Tuesday at Neillsville High School.

Spencer led 3-2 after scoring three unearned runs in the fourth inning as Neillsville committed two errors and issued two walks.

The Warriors responded with three runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Jonah Zoschke and a two-run single by Jace Pekol.

Braden Trunkel scored on a wild pitch, and Andrew Brown had a triple with the bases loaded and scored on another wild pitch in the sixth to push Neillsville’s lead to 9-3.

Spencer scored three times with two outs in the top of the seventh thanks to four walks, a passed ball and a wild pitch, before the Warriors stopped the bleeding and recorded the final out.

Spencer was held to three hits, two by Chase Higgins, who also scored twice.

Trunkel and Pekol each had two hits for Neillsville.

Neillsville remains in first place in the Cloverbelt East, improving to 5-0 and 6-1 overall. Spencer is now 2-6 and 2-3 in conference play.

Both teams return to action Friday. Spencer is at Greenwood and Neillsville plays at Marshfield Columbus Catholic.

Warriors 9, Rockets 6
Spencer 000 300 3 – 6 3 2
Neillsville 200 034 x – 9 9 2
WP:
Braden Trunkel. LP: Chase Higgins. SV: Sam Hayes.
SO: Higgins (5 1/3 inn.) 10, Kyler Bainer (2/3 inn.) 2; Carson Opelt (4 inn.) 2, Trunkel (2 2/3 inn.) 7, Hayes (1/3 inn.) 1. BB: Higgins 2, Bainer 2; Opelt 2, Trunkel 4, Hayes 0.
Top hitters: S, Higgins 2×4, 2B, 2 runs. N, Trunkel 2×3, 2 runs; Bryce Erickson 2 runs; Jonah Zoschke 1×3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs; Andrew Brown 3B, 3 runs, 2 RBIs; Jace Pekol 2×4, 2B, 2 RBIs.
Records: Spencer 2-6, 2-3 Cloverbelt Conference East Division; Neillsville 6-1, 5-0 Cloverbelt East.