By David Paulsen
Sports Correspondent
Taking on first-place Burlington Tuesday, the Waterford High School baseball team played solidly, but fell 2-0 in Southern Lakes Conference action.
Matt Bartling and Ryan Ratkovec held Burlington to just five hits, but managed just two off Burlington pitcher Austin Smith.
The game was scoreless until the fifth when Burlington pushed across the only two runs of the game in the top half of the inning.
The Burlington rally began after two were out with the help of an error. Two singles, a walk, a stolen base and a wild pitch produced the two runs.
Both of Waterford’s hits came in the first. After that, Smith mowed down the next 18 batters in a row.
Bartling took the loss, pitching five innings and giving up both runs (none of which were earned) on four hits. He walked seven. Ratkovec pitched the final two innings, giving up one hit and walking one.
With the loss, the Wolverines fell to 6-6 overall and 3-4 in the SLC.
Burlington is 10-3 overall and 6-1 in the SLC.
In a make-up game from April 19, Waterford defeated Elkhorn 8-4 in Southern Lakes Conference action.
The Wolverines jumped on the Elks right away with three runs in the bottom of the first, propelled by a run scoring double by Tanner Hunsucker.
Hunsucker had three doubles in the game in four at-bats, and three RBIs, scoring twice.
Waterford added a pair of runs in the second and two more in the fourth to build a 7-0 lead.
Elkhorn scored one run in the fifth and three in the sixth to cut the lead to 7-4, but the Wolverines (on a double by Hunsucker) tacked on a run in the bottom of the sixth for the final margin.
Kevin Draper and Hayden Look took care of duties on the mound, with Draper not giving up a single run in four innings of work. He surrendered just three hits, walked two and struck out six.
Both teams had nine hits in the game.
The Wolverines edged Racine Horlick 7-6 April 27 in non-conference action.
Once again, Waterford grabbed an early lead, plating four runs in the first.
Horlick came right back with four runs in the top of the second to tie the score, but the Wolverine boys scored two in the bottom of the second for a 6-4 lead.
Single runs in the third and fifth helped Horlick tie the game at 6-6, but Waterford retook the lead 7-6 in the bottom of the fifth and made that run stand up.
Only three of Waterford’s seven runs in this game were earned as Horlick committed four costly errors.
Waterford dropped two games to the Comets last week, falling 1-0 April 26 at Delavan and 4-3 April 24 at home.
In the 1-0 loss, Delavan managed just two hits, but made one of them count when it scored the game’s sole run in the sixth.
Waterford had just four hits, and only twice had a runner advance to second. Hunsucker had two of the four hits.
Mike Bartling was the tough-luck loser, giving up just two hits, while walking three. He struck out six.
Update: Waterford came up just short against Burlington Thursday night, 6-5.
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