This story is sponsored by: Chili Implement
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
WAUSAU – Marshfield had all the momentum heading into Saturday’s Class AAA American Legion baseball regional championship matchup with Wausau, having won its first three games of the double-elimination tournament and tasting a trip to state.
All that momentum quickly went away when Wausau put up six runs in the top of the first inning and rolled to a 19-0 victory.
Marshfield had another chance to finish off its first regional title in eight years and were determined to not let the whitewashing in Game 1 keep them down.
Riley Bauman smacked a three-run homer in the first inning and Logan Homolka allowed just two runs in five innings as the Blue Devils reversed their fortunes and rolled to a 12-2 win the second championship game to earn a spot in the 2022 Wisconsin American Legion Baseball State Tournament in Sheboygan.
Marshfield will be making its first state appearance since hosting the event in 2016. The Blue Devils last qualified for state in 2014. Marshfield (22-13) will take on Eau Claire (19-13) in its opener on Tuesday at 1:45 p.m. at Wildwood Park.
“We’ve been a resilient group all year and I thought they’d bounce back,” Marshfield coach Josh Metz said. “I think we were out of it early. You’d rather lose that way then lose a heartbreaker in the first game. It’s a lot easier to come back from a game like that. We knew had a chance, came out strong and got after it. It’s a good feeling.”
Following Bauman’s three-run shot to left field in the first, Marshfield put up four more in the second, keyed by a two-out two-run single by Ben Dietsche.
Homolka was solid, giving up both runs in the second inning after a one-out error and a wild pitch. He coaxed a fly out and groundout with the bases loaded to escape further damage, and allowed just two baserunners over the final three innings.
“You couldn’t ask for more,” Metz said of Homolka. “He battled for us and he’s been a guy all year for us. Everyone knew they’d have to step up and battle through this tournament, they did that.”
Marshfield finished off the win in the fifth inning, scoring five times. Kale Weisenberger and Bennett Lang had RBI singles and Brock Bennington smacked one off the wall in left-center to plate another to push Marshfield’s lead to 10-2. After a strikeout, Bauman walked to load the bases, Nick Urban walked to force in one run and Dietsche was hit by a pitch to force in another, ending the game due to the 10-run rule.
Bauman finished with four RBI, Dietsche with three, and four different Blue Devils scored twice in the victory.
In the opening game, Wausau jumped on Marshfield starter Brady Schmidt, scoring six times in the first inning.
The Bulldogs (25-18) took advantage of two errors, had RBI singles from Bryce Heil and Isaiah Piscitello, and two bases loaded walks to take a big lead.
Wausau essentially put the game to rest in the second inning, plating nine more runs on six hits. Piscitello walked with the bases loaded, Wes Schneider had a sacrifice fly, Jacob Hamann had a two-run single, Heil drove in another with a double, Cole Osness followed with a two-RBI double and Noah Stroming had an RBI single to push the Bulldogs’ lead to 15-0.
Lane Juedes added an RBI single and Heil had a sac fly in the third, and Wausau scored two more in the fifth.
Piscitello allowed just three hits, while striking out six to earn the win for Wausau in a five-inning complete game.
Osness ended up 4-for-4 with two RBI, Heil had three hits and three RBI, and Hamann finished with three RBI in the win.
Wausau 19, Marshfield 0
Wausau 692 02 – 19 14 0
Marshfield 000 00 – 0 3 3
WP: Isaiah Piscitello. LP: Brady Schmidt.
SO: Piscitello 6; Schmidt (1 inn.) 0, Chase Robinson (2/3 inn.) 0, Sloan Welch (2 1/3 inn.) 2, Isaac Zeps (1 inn.) 1. BB: Piscitello 2; Schmidt 3, Robinson 3, Welch 2, Zeps 1.
Top hitters: W, Ethan Graham 2 RBI; Lane Juedes 2×4, 2 runs, RBI; Bryce Heil 3×3, 2B, 3 runs, 3 RBI; Cole Osness 4×4, 2 2Bs, 3 runs, 2 RBI; Noah Stroming 1×3, 2 runs, 2 RBI; Piscitello 1×4, 2 runs, 2 RBI; Wes Schneider 1×2, 2 runs, RBI; Jacob Hamann 2×2, 2 runs, 3 RBI. M, Bennett Lang 1×2; Carsten Jirschele 1×1; Logan Homolka 1×1.
Marshfield 12, Wausau 2
Wausau 020 00 – 2 3 2
Marshfield 340 05 – 12 8 2
WP: Homolka. LP: Heil.
SO: Heil (0 inn.) 0, Cole Osness (4 1/3 inn.) 3, Wyatt Stahel (1/3 inn.) 1; Homolka 2. BB: Heil 1, C. Osness 3, Stahel 2; Homolka 2.
Top hitters: W, Heil 2×3. M, Brock Bennington 2 runs; Cole TImmler 2 runs; Riley Bauman HR, 2 runs, 4 RBI; Nick Urban RBI; Ben Dietsche 1×3, 3 RBI; Kale Weisenberger 2×3, 2 runs, RBI; Lang 1×3, RBI.
Records: Wausau 25-18; Marshfield 22-13.
2022 Class AAA Regional 2 American Legion Baseball Tournament
July 20-23, at Athletic Park, Wausau
Double elimination
Wednesday, July 20
Game 1: Marshfield (19-12) 4, Wisconsin Rapids (14-8) 3
Game 2: Plover (27-11) 2, Stevens Point (12-17) 0
Game 3: Wausau (22-16) 6, D.C. Everest 0
Thursday, July 21
Game 4: Wisconsin Rapids (15-8) 11, Stevens Point (12-18) 0
Game 5: Marshfield (20-12) 11, D.C. Everest 1
Game 6: Plover (28-11) 6, Wausau (22-17) 5
Friday, July 22
Game 7: Wausau (23-17) 8, Wisconsin Rapids (15-9) 0
Game 8: Marshfield (21-12) 7, Plover (28-12) 4
Game 9: Wausau (24-17) 17, Plover (28-13) 13
Saturday, July 23
Game 10: Wausau (25-17) 19, Marshfield (21-13) 0
Game 11: Marshfield (22-13) 12, Wausau (25-18) 2