WIAA D1 SEMIFINAL: Burlington 9, Green Bay Preble 0
By Mike Ramczyk
sports@southernlakesnewspapers
For the first time in school history, the Burlington baseball team will play for a state championship.
Thanks to a dominant pitching performance by Aaron Mutter along with 13 hits from the Demon batters, Burlington won its second game of the day Tuesday, 9-0, over Green Bay Preble in a WIAA Division 1 state semifinal.
Burlington (24-5) will play Arrowhead (29-2) at 6 p.m. Thursday.
The Warhawks advanced to the championship final with a 2-1 win over Kimberly in the Division 1 semifinals Tuesday evening at Neuroscience Group Field in Grand Chute.
A couple hours earlier on the same field, Burlington came out of the gates on fire and never looked back.
The Demons got on the board in the first inning with three runs thanks to RBI singles from Dale Damon and Aaron Sturdevant.
Cal Tully added an RBI on a fielder’s choice, and the early cushion was a contrast to earlier in the day, when Burlington fought out of a 3-0 hole.
That was all Mutter needed, as he allowed one hit through the first four innings.
Mutter was stellar in the field, picking off a runner at second base.
The flood gates opened in the fifth inning, when the Demons scored six runs on five consecutive hits, including a Damon RBI double and a Tully RBI triple.
Tully finished with two RBIs for the day and played solid defense at shortstop.
“Everybody’s hitting,” said senior Tanner Strommen. “We were a little nervous in the first game, but we started hitting and settled down.”
“Anything can happen with our lineup,” Tully said. “We trust anyone who’s in there. Also, Damon is on fire. When we get guys on, we know Dale is going to get them in.”
David vs. Goliath
Damon finished the two-game Tuesday 5-for-7 with three RBIs.
“For us right now, it’s all business,” Tully added. “Once we step on the field, we lock in, and we know it’s game time. We’re ready for anybody.”
Burlington advanced to the state tournament in 1991 and 2005, but this is the second time it’s made it to state semifinals and first time to finals.
Burlington, a school of 1,100 students, will battle the Wisconsin Little Ten champion Arrowhead, located in the Town of Merton near Hartland.
Arrowhead has more than 2,200 students and is a proverbial favorite in all sports and has won more than 20 WIAA team state championships since 2008.
It will take more of the effort displayed by Burlington Tuesday night on Thursday against Arrowhead, which boasts Division 1 college recruits who will be attending Indiana, Illinois, Florida and Michigan universities.
Burlington head coach Scott Staude has said all season that no stage is too big for the Demons. That saying will be tested on the state’s grandest stage.
“We’ve lost the last two years against Arrowhead,” he said after the game. “A little familiarity helps.”
“We were aggressive all day. We played 13 innings of attack baseball today. Janesville Craig is a well-coached, well-disciplined team. Jacob threw great.”
“We don’t know what the plan is for pitching Thursday yet. We could see Arrowhead’s No. 3 pitcher, who we faced in the regular season.”
Staude said the team had a swagger and felt it belonged at the state tournament.
Bryan Sturdevant, a senior second baseman who went 4-for-8 on the day with three runs and an RBI, broke the school single-season hits record with 51.
He said being at state and having a chance to win it all is a dream come true.
Bryan Sturdevant, Tully, and Zach Campbell, who went 3-for-8 on the day, all logged an inning on the mound in the win over Green Bay.
“It’s an unbelievable experience, and we’ve all been dreaming about this our whole lives,” Bryan Sturdevant said. “I can’t even explain how awesome Thursday is going to be. Hopefully, all our fans get out here, and we keep playing the way we’re playing.”
“We need to keep playing confident, and we know we can beat anyone.”
IF YOU GO
What: WIAA Division 1 state championship game
Who: Burlington (24-5) vs. Arrowhead (29-2)
When: Thursday, 6 p.m.
Where: Neuroscience Group Field, Appleton
The skinny – The Demons have a shot at their first baseball state championship in school history. Burlington advanced to state semifinals in 1991 and state quarterfinals in 2005.
Ace pitcher Jacob Lindemann tossed seven innings in his victory Tuesday, so he isn’t eligible to pitch Thursday. If the game is rained out, and it’s played Friday, Lindemann will be able to pitch.
Aaron Mutter pitched four innings Tuesday, so he will have three innings of work if needed Thursday.
Bryan Sturdevant, Zach Campbell and Cal Tully all have six innings left to work Thursday, and pitcher Houston Cowan is also available.
Staude said he isn’t sure who will pitch.
Arrowhead has multiple state titles in summer baseball. They haven’t won a spring state championship.
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