By Dan Truttschel
Sports Correspondent
The past week was a bit of a crazy one for the Westosha Central baseball team.
What started with a 19-1 thumping at the hands of Waterford to open the week ended with a 4-3 bounce-back effort against the Wolverines and a solid 8-3 non-conference win Friday afternoon over visiting Shoreland Lutheran.
The 2-1 week improved the Falcons to 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the Southern Lakes Conference heading into a pair of rivalry games with Wilmot. Central traveled to face the Panthers Tuesday, but results were unavailable by press time.
Central took control early against Shoreland with all eight of its runs in the first two innings and never looked back.
“We had great at bats all game,” Central coach Jake Morman said. “We really made their pitcher work, we were patient at the plate and took advantage of good counts and hit the ball hard when (he) challenged us over the plate.”
Dylan Hogan pitched all five innings in the shortened game to pick up the win. He allowed four hits, two earned runs, six walks and struck out two.
Morman said he was pleased to see Hogan battle in tough conditions.
“He didn’t have his best stuff all game, but found ways to get himself out of jams,” Morman said. “(He) kept them from putting any real big innings together.”
Marshall Gilbert led the offense with one hit, three RBI and two runs scored, while Austin Podella added a hit and two runs scored and Hogan a hit and an RBI.
“With the exception of maybe one inning where we got a little loose in the field, I was impressed with how we came ready to play,” Morman said.
“We put good at bats together and jumped on them early, especially with the weather conditions being less than ideal.”
Heading into this week, the race for the SLC crown remains tight. Waterford leads the pack at 5-1, followed by Badger at 4-1 and Central at 3-1. Union Grove is right behind at 2-2.
The Falcons hosted Wilmot Thursday in the second game with the Panthers, followed by a non-conference home doubleheader against Hartford Saturday.
But first things first, Morman said.
“Wilmot is always a big week,’ he said. “For us, it’s just another week in a tough conference in which we need to show up and put our best effort on display.
“Our goal is a conference championship. Whether it’s Wilmot, Elkhorn, Burlington or any other conference team, you need to show up and play your best baseball, because that’s how good our conference is.”
Morman knows he won’t have to say much to motivate his team to face the Panthers.
“Our kids always get up to play Wilmot, as they do for us,” he said. “It should be a lot of fun, and I think our guys will come out and play two really good baseball games.”
Panthers salvage split
Central scored three runs in the seventh inning and then held off a late rally for a 4-3 win April 23 at Waterford.
The victory itself was important, but on the heels of the blowout loss two days earlier, it took on an even greater meaning, Morman said.
“I was so proud of how our guys bounced back on Thursday after a real bad game by us on Tuesday,” he said. “Waterford really took it to us on Tuesday.
“For our guys to come back on Thursday and put together a very solid game in all aspects and pick up a huge conference win was really impressive. These kids knew the importance of Thursday, and they came ready to play.”
Gilbert had a double, a run scored and two RBI, while Tanner Bykowski had a double and two RBI to lead the Falcons’ offensive attack.
“Tanner and Marshall are about as locked in at the plate right now as you can get,” Morman said. “They are both playing at such a high level right now.”
Gilbert also stood out on the mound, as he earned the complete-game win, and allowed just three hits, five walks and struck out three.
“Marshall was outstanding,” Morman said. “He kept their hitters off-balance all game, mixing in his fastball with timely off-speed stuff. He knew he needed to come out and pitch a great game, and that’s exactly what he did.”
Little went right in the 19-1 loss, as Waterford jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, and then blew things open with 11 more in the fourth.
Central managed just three hits, one each by Bryce Edwards, Jake Werth and Trent Jones.
“We weren’t prepared to play baseball Tuesday,” Morman said. “We let the cold and wind beat us before the first pitch ever happened.
“It was disappointing, but it was a real teaching moment for our team. I think in the long run, we will be better for it, and it’s something that our guys hopefully learned from.”
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