Teams needs to win this weekend to secure berth
By Bud Milroy
Sports Correspondent
The Burlington Rotary Barons continued to battle toward a playoff spot in the Southwest Division of the Land O’ Lake League this week, setting up a make-or-break weekend.
The Barons (8-8) complete their regular season with a pair of road games. On Saturday they travel to North Prairie (7-9) for a 1:30 pm game with the Dawgs. A win there should secure a spot in the playoffs.
On Sunday they travel to Waterford (9-6) for the resumption of a game suspended by rain a couple of weeks ago. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
The run toward the Land O’ Lakes playoffs comes after a brief foray into the Frank Langsdorf League playoffs – something the Barons secured in dramatic fashion last week.
Landon Tenhagen’s two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth inning defeated the Genoa City Red Dogs 6-5 on July 24 to put the Barons in the Langsdorf League playoffs.
Earlier in the game Tenhagen gave the Barons a short-lived lead with a monstrous home run that made the score 4-3. Genoa City responded with a pair of runs in the sixth inning and that where it remained until the ninth inning fireworks.
The Barons’ Langsdorf League playoff run came to an early end, however, with a loss in Kenosha on Friday night.
The Barons got on the board in top of the first when Dylan Friend led the game off with a triple. One out later he scored on Ryan Hoffman’s infield out. The Baron’s picked up their second run in the second inning but that was all they could muster as they were eliminated by the Bobcats 6-2.
Land O’ Lakes play
Burlington posted a 2-1 record in Land O’ Lakes play last week to remain in the playoff hunt.
On July 25, the Barons jumped out to a 9-0 lead and held off a late threat from the Rome Raiders (8-9) to pick up a crucial Land O’ Lakes win, 9-3.
The Barons picked up a pair of runs in the first as Tenhagen doubled-in Friend and later scored on Hoffman’s infield out.
Burlington struck for three more in the second before blowing the game open with a four spot in the sixth. The big blow was a two-run homer by Paul Archambault.
Joey Hodkiewicz and TJ Floyd combined to hold Rome scoreless through the first six innings.
Rome picked up a pair of runs in the seventh and another in the eighth.
On Saturday, the Barons traveled to East Troy (11-5) to take on the league-leading Express. Hodkiewicz took to the mound again for the Barons and kept his team in the game, but received little offensive support.
“We got runners on base with a number of hits but couldn’t come up with the big clutch hit to drive any runners in” said player-manager Ryan Hoffman.
The score was 3-0 before the Barons scored in the top half of the fourth inning. Tenhagen’s one-out double and an East Troy error one out later got the Barons on the board.
Burlington added its second run in the fifth when Justin Molle opened the frame with a base hit. Two fielder’s choice put-outs later, Jared Francois ripped a double to drive in Friend with the Barons’ second run to make the score 4-2 after five innings.
East Troy added two runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to make the final 8-2.
The Barons bounced back on Sunday when they hosted the Waterford Rivermen at Beaumont Field. Karl Richter was at the top of his game as he went all nine innings to earn the 2-0 shutout win. Richter allowed just three hits, struck out three and yielded just one walk.
The Barons defense was flawless in the contest led by shortstop Mac Shepherd with a diving catch of a line drive off the bat of Zach Foray and superb pick-up and throw of a slow roller an inning later.
The Rivermen threatened in the eighth when Ben Korman drew a one out walk. Tommy Behrens followed with a base hit to put two on with one out. Richter got out of the jam when Wade Axelson grounded into a double play to end the inning.
The Barons got all the runs they’d need in the second inning. Hoffman led off the inning with a base hit. One out later Floyd singled to put two on. Molle followed with a solid double down the left field line to score both runners.
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