Demons set for semifinal game at 6 p.m. Tuesday
By Mike Ramczyk
Correspondent
Pitching, defense and headiness on the base paths have defined the Burlington Demon baseball team all season.
Tuesday morning was no different in a WIAA Division 1 state quarterfinal at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute.
Trey Krause was his usual dominant self, a key stolen base sparked a two-out rally and stellar defense glued it all together as the Demons shut out Green Bay Preble, 3-0, in a fast-paced, 90-minute game.
Krause was diabolical in his dissection of the Hornet hitters, allowing only three runners to reach second base in a 101-pitch, two-hit complete game.
Burlington, ranked No. 2 in the latest state poll, improved to 24-5 and will play in a WIAA Division 1 state semifinal tonight at 6 p.m. against Sun Prairie (23-7), a 3-2 winner over Oak Creek in quarterfinal action.
Burlington coach Scott Staude said it was nice to get a win at the state tournament after two straight seasons losing in the quarterfinal round.
“We didn’t want to be one-and-done again,” he said. “It feels good. You could feel the tension and nerves for both teams right away.”
“Playing the 8 o’clock game is such a challenge and is different from what you do all the time. Scoring first was huge. Getting a couple big hits in the third relaxed us, and it relaxed Trey, too.”
For Krause, it was third time’s the charm. As a sophomore, he allowed six earned runs in a quarterfinal loss, and he lost in a tough 2-1 state quarterfinal last year.
It was redemption time.
“It’s definitely better to be on the winning side than the losing side,” Krause said. “I knew it was going to take everything. I knew things weren’t going to go right all game, I made some bad pitches, but knowing we got that ‘W,’ there’s nothing better.”
To read the entire story as well as stories and photos from the Demons’ semifinal game on Tuesday night, see Thursday’s edition of the Burlington Standard Press.
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