By David Paulsen
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
The Waterford High School baseball team avenged a loss five days earlier, defeating Union Grove 3-1 Tuesday in Southern Lakes Conference action.
“A well-played game by both teams,” head coach Lance Bestland said.
Tanner Hunsucker pitched the complete game, giving up just five hits, and walking only two. He struck out five.
Trace Hunsucker, Tanner Hunsucker and Tommy Dugandzic accounted for six of Waterford’s seven hits, as each had two. Trace Hunsucker and Dugandzic each had an RBI.
Defensively, the Wolverine boys also played well, committing just one error in the field.
Waterford scored single runs in the second, fourth and fifth, with the Broncos getting their sole run in the fourth with the help of Waterford’s sole error.
The win improved Waterford’s overall record to 9-13 and its SLC mark to 6-8.
Vs. Milwaukee Lutheran
Trailing 10-1 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Wolverines rallied for five runs, four of them coming on a Jesse Bouffiou grand slam, but it was too little too late. The result was a 10-6 non-conference loss Monday to Milwaukee Lutheran.
“We ran out of time,” head coach Lance Bestland said. “The players never gave up.”
Milwaukee Lutheran scored twice in its first at-bat to take a 2-0 lead, but Waterford got one of those runs back in the bottom of the first.
The score remained 2-1 until the top of the sixth when Milwaukee Lutheran scored eight runs. It proved to be too much for the Wolverines to overcome.
Only four the Milwaukee Lutheran runs were earned as Waterford committed four errors in the field.
Nate Lauer started on the mound for Waterford and took the loss, gaving up just two runs (both earned) on four hits. He walked four and struck out four.
Yiannis Skapinikis pitched a scoreless fifth, but then was shelled in the sixth, giving up seven runs (just two earned) without getting a single out. He gave up three hits and walked two, but got no support from the defense.
Jacob Schuyler relieved Skapinikis and pitched two innings. He did not give up a hit, but walked three and struck out three. The one run off Schuyler was unearned.
Waterford outhit Milwaukee Lutheran 10-7, but Wolverine pitchers gave up eight walks and hit two batters.
Tanner Hunsucker, Tommy Dugandzic and Ross Gunderson each had two hits for the Wolverines.
Vs. Union Grove
In this Southern Lakes Conference matchup, Waterford had this game in control until the bottom of the seventh inning. But four runs by Union Grove in its last at-bat allowed the Broncos to edge the Wolverines 6-5.
Union Grove took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first and it stayed that way until the fifth when Waterford cut the lead to 2-1. A four-run sixth gave the Wolverines a 5-2 lead going into the bottom of the seventh.
That is when the Broncos parlayed one hit, two walks and two errors into four runs and the victory. The winning run scored on a walk with just one out.
Dylan Malecki pitched six solid innings for Waterford, giving up just two runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out six.
Bouffiou relieved Malecki in the seventh and gave up four runs (two earned) on just one hit. He walked two and struck out one in one-third inning of work.
Ryan Ratkovec relieved Bouffiou with the bases loaded and issued the walk-off walk.
Waterford ended its regular season Wednesday with a non-conference matchup against Indian Trail of Kenosha.
-
-
-
-
-