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MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – The Columbus Catholic baseball team took advantage of some pitching woes and fielding errors to plate four runs in the fourth inning to pull away and defeat Edgar 7-4 in a WIAA Division 4 regional final Wednesday at Jack Hackman Field.
The Dons (18-3) moves on to the sectionals at Gillett on Tuesday. Columbus Catholic will take on Lena in the second of the two semifinals at 1 p.m. Rib Lake will battle Wausau Newman Catholic in the first game at 10 a.m., with the winners meeting for a sectional championship and a state tournament berth at 4 p.m.
The teams exchanged runs in the first inning as Ashton Schuett had an RBI single for Edgar and Cole Timmler knocked in a run for the Dons.
Columbus Catholic pulled ahead for good in the third inning. Blake Jakobi reached on an error, Brock Bennington and Timmler walked, and Jakobi scored on a fielder’s choice groundball by Cy Becker to make it 2-1.
The Dons pulled away in the fourth on a number of Edgar miscues. Grant Olson and Alex Edwards had back-to-back singles to leadoff the inning, then were able to plate four runs without hitting the ball out of the infield.
Following an error and a strikeout, Jakobi was hit by a pitch to force in a run, Edwards scored on a groundout by Bennington, Nathan Nemitz came in on another error, and Xane Adler walked with the bases loaded to push the Dons’ lead to 6-1.
Edgar (12-6) tightened things up in the sixth, scoring three times keyed by a two-run double by Brady Stencil, but Jakobi was able to finish off the inning with a strikeout, completing his night on the mound as he went six innings with four punchouts.
The Dons added an insurance run in the sixth on an RBI single by Timmler, and Emmitt Konieczny nailed down the save with a 1-2-3 seventh inning to send Columbus Catholic into sectionals.
“All the way down the lineup guys were putting the ball in play and making things happen,” Columbus Catholic coach Jared Krasselt said.
Dons 7, Wildcats 4
Edgar 100 003 0 – 4 5 4
Columbus Catholic 101 401 x – 7 8 4
WP: Blake Jakobi. LP: Jordan Bunkelman. SV: Emmitt Konieczny.
SO: Bunkelman (3 2/3 inn.) 3, Leyton Schuett (2 1/3 inn.) 2; Jakobi (6 inn.) 4, Konieczny (1 inn.) 1. BB: Bunkelman 4, L. Schuett 0; Jakobi 3, Konieczny 0.
Top hitters: E, Brady Stencil 2B, 2 RBI; Ashton Schuett 1×2, RBI. CC, Jakobi 3 runs, RBI; Cole Timmler 2×2, 2 RBI.
Records: Edgar 12-6; Columbus Catholic 18-3.