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SHEBOYGAN – The Marshfield Post 54 Blue Devils did it again.
Faced with its third-straight elimination game at the Wisconsin Class AAA American Legion Baseball State Tournament, Marshfield came out on top again, blasting host Sheboygan 8-1 on Friday afternoon.
The win moves Marshfield (25-14) into the final day of the tournament on Saturday.
After losing its opening game to Eau Claire 14-3 on Tuesday, the Blue Devils have ripped off three-straight wins and will play Eau Claire again at noon on Saturday. Eau Claire whipped Manitowoc 10-0 on Friday night. The winner moves into the championship game against Manitowoc at 3 p.m. and also earns a spot at the Great Lakes Regional next week in Midland, Mich. Manitowoc, the last undefeated team in the state tournament, was guaranteed a berth in the championship game and the regional regardless of Friday’s result.
Marshfield, playing in its 10th state tournament, has never won a championship, and last reached the national regional in 2014 when it placed second at state.
For the second day in a row, Marshfield scored four times in the opening inning to take control.
Sheboygan scored its only run of the game in the top of the first inning against Marshfield starter Logan Homolka, who earned the save with two shutout innings Thursday against De Pere.
Homolka got the run support he needed in the bottom of the inning, in which he was part of, and settled in after that throwing a complete game. He allowed just four hits and didn’t walk a batter, while striking out six.
Brock Bennington was hit by a pitch, Homolka followed with a single, and after an out, Nick Urban singled to load the bases. Ben Dietsche singled home Bennington, Homolka scored on a wild pitch, Urban scored on a groundout by Carsten Jirschele, and Cole Timmler drove home Dietsche to give Marshfield a 4-1 lead.
The Blue Devils tacked on a run in the fourth when Bennington was hit by a pitch again and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch.
Bennington smacked a two-run triple in the fifth inning and scored on a single by Homolka to finish off the scoring.
Homolka allowed just three hits after the first inning and retired the final 10 batters he faced to secure the victory.
Marshfield 8, Sheboygan 1
Sheboygan 100 000 0 – 1 4 1
Marshfield 400 130 x – 8 10 0
WP: Logan Homolka. LP: Norris.
SO: Norris (3 2/3 inn.) 2, Drew Widder (1 1/3 inn.) 0, Dane Nickolai (1 inn.) 1; Homolka 6. BB: Norris 3, Widder 0, Nickolai 0; Homolka 0.
Top hitters: S, Alexander Ames 2×3; Nickolai 2B; Caleb Salm RBI. M, Brock Bennington 3B, 3 runs, 2 RBI; Homolka 2×2, RBI; Nick Urban 2×3, run; Ben Dietsche 1×4, run, RBI; Carsten Jirschele 1×4, RBI; Cole Timmler 3×3, run, RBI; Bennett Lang run.
Records: Sheboygan 17-16; Marshfield 25-14.
Wisconsin Class AAA American Legion Baseball State Tournament
July 26-30, at Wildwood Park, Sheboygan
Double Elimination
Tuesday, July 26
Game 1: Manitowoc (23-4) 3, Middleton (13-14) 2
Game 2: De Pere (23-12) 2, Fond du Lac (15-8) 1
Game 3: Eau Claire (20-13) 14, Marshfield (22-14) 3
Game 4: Sheboygan (16-14) 5, Genoa City (12-18) 2
Wednesday, July 27
Game 5: Middleton (14-14) 10, Fond du Lac (15-9) 9
Game 6: Marshfield (23-14) 6, Genoa City (12-19) 5 (9 inn.)
Game 7: Manitowoc (24-4) 5, De Pere (23-13) 3
Game 8: Sheboygan (17-14) 5, Eau Claire (20-14) 4
Thursday, July 28
Game 9: Marshfield (24-14) 7, De Pere (23-14) 4
Game 10: Eau Claire (21-14) 15, Middleton (14-15) 9
Game 11: Manitowoc (25-4) 5, Sheboygan (17-15) 1
Friday, July 29
Game 12: Marshfield (25-14) 8, Sheboygan (17-16) 1
Game 13: Eau Claire (22-14) 10, Manitowoc (26-5) 0
Saturday, July 30
Game 14: Marshfield (25-14) vs. Eau Claire (22-14), noon
Game 15: Game 14 winner vs. Manitowoc (26-5), 3 p.m.