By Mike Ramczyk
For the first time, rivals Burlington High School and Waterford Union High School will battle each other in a WIAA sectional final with a trip to the state tournament on the line.
That’s because the Wolverines took care of business Tuesday afternoon, 6-3, over a game Lake Geneva squad, roughly two hours after the Demons dispatched Kenosha Indian Trail, 7-0.
The big blow at the plate came courtesy of Zak Ksobiech, whose two-run triple with two outs capped off a five-run fourth inning and gave Waterford a commanding 6-2 lead.
“We started off with two bunts for base hits, because we noticed the third baseman kept playing back,” said Waterford coach Lance Bestland. “We struggled to get that big two-out hit, but Ksobiech’s hit was big.”
“This is what the kids wanted. They wanted to see Burlington one more time. Hopefully it’s a good game, and hopefully it will come down to the end, like it always does with Waterford vs. Burlington.”
Austin Hoefs (4-2) earned the victory for the Wolverines, who improved to 18-7 this season.
Zach Stiewe, a junior who Bestland calls the team’s “closer,” shut the door on the Badgers in the final two innings.
Matt Korman collected two hits for Waterford.
Lake Geneva Badger starting pitcher Brady Fields enjoyed a 2-0 lead in the first inning, and the Badgers held the lead until Waterford’s big inning.
Badger head coach Aaron Zweifel said it was a sudden end to a strong season.
Lake Geneva advanced to sectionals as a No. 10 seed.
“We’re all proud of these guys, they played their butts off,” Zweifel said. “They’re a great group of guys. They hang out off the field, and they genuinely enjoy hanging out with each other.”
“We didn’t make our own breaks. That big inning was a gut punch. Some of the little things like missed fly balls put more pressure on our pitcher.”
Fields, a junior, was at 87 pitches during Waterford’s hit barrage in the fourth, and he was replaced by fellow junior Cliff Miller, who didn’t allow a hit in 2-1/3 innings.
Fields gave up four earned runs on seven hits with five walks in 3-2/3.
Junior Colton Surges went 3-for-4, and Mason DuMez added two hits for Badger.
“Now our guys have been here, and we will expect to get here in the future,” Zweifel said. “Leadership and guys staying positive helped us get here. We played for the postseason, and that’s when our guys peaked. They’re a gritty group, and they never say die.”
Waterford faces Campbell for first time
In tonight’s sectional final, which begins at 5 p.m., the Wolverines will see Burlington ace Zach Campbell for the first time.
Campbell, who had three hits and three RBIs in today’s win over Indian Trail, allowed one run in a 2-1 regional final victory against Union Grove June 1.
“If I was a betting man, I’d say we’ll see Campbell,” Bestland said. “All I know is Campbell can sure hit, so hopefully he’s not as good a pitcher as he is a hitter.”
On May 16, the Wolverines pounded starter Trent Turzenski and cruised to a 16-9 victory in Waterford. But the Demons had the last laugh, taking a 6-5 win two days later to clinch their second consecutive Southern Lakes Conference championship.
Burlington (20-4) exhausted the pitching innings for pitcher Trey Krause today, but Campbell, Turzenski, Derek Koenen and Drew Pesick will all be available against Waterford.
Ryan Jungbauer (6-1) earned the victory in Waterford’s win over Burlington. The senior needed only three pitches in relief to win Waterford’s regional final game June 1 against Kenosha Bradford.
Stay tuned to Mike Ramczyk on Twitter @mikeramczyk17 and www.myracinecounty.com tonight for live game updates.
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