SOUTH WAYNE — The Lafayette County All-Stars used an early scoring barrage to top the Green County All-Stars in game one, 8-7, and then the Lafayette County team used a late scoring rally in game two to down their Green County foes, 14-8, for a sweep at the second annual All-Star All-Cancer Baseball Game held at the South Wayne Community Park on Saturday, July 10.

The event was unable to be held last summer due to COVID-19, so these year’s events featured players who graduated in both 2020 and 2021 being two games against one another. The opening game of the doubleheader featured mainly 2020 players and the second game featured primarily 2021 players. Several players played in both games, while others participated in just one game.

Lafayette jumped ahead 3-0 in the top of the first inning and never trailed in game one. Black Hawk’s Lucas Flanagan reached on an infield single to start the rally and came in to score on former Warrior teammate Avery Baumgartner’s RBI-groundout. Darlington’s Carter Lancaster followed with a single to left to plate Pecatonica’s Zander Bunker and Argyle’s Gavin Johnson for a 3-0 lead.

The Lafayette squad added a run in the second inning and tacked on two insurance runs in both the fourth and sixth frames to stay in front the entire game. Argyle’s Travis Dammen and Miken Godfrey had RBI-singles in the fourth, while Darlington’s Barry Schliem and Pecatonica’s Bo Hendrickson scored in the sixth.

Green County broke through for a run in the bottom of the third inning, and then made things interesting by scoring two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth and three in the sixth to cut the deficit to 8-7. Monroe’s Matt Sniff had a RBI-double in the third, while Brodhead/Juda’s Payton Johnson scored twice and Monticello/Albany’s Reese Rufer drove in a run and scored another.

Pecatonica’s Easton Schraepfer pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to preserve the victory for Lafayette. Schliem earned the win in two stints of relieve work on the mound and also helped his own cause by scoring twice in game one.

Lafayette began game two the same way they started off game one, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning and adding a run in the second to go up 3-0. Argyle’s Jayden Johnson had a RBI-double and scored on a groundout by Pec’s Skylar Garthwaite in the first, while Hendrickson drove in Baumgartner with a RBI-single in the second. 

However, this time around Green County had a quick answer, plating three runs of their own in the bottom of the second inning to tie the score at 3-3. B/J’s Evan Senobe singled in a run to open the rally, and Johnson followed with a two-run double to even things up. 

Lafayette regained the lead on a two-run double by BH’s Jexen Stietz in the top of the third inning, but Green Co. came right back to score four times in the home-half of the stanza to take their first lead of the day at 7-5. B/J’s Ryan Searles singled in a run and Rufer brought in another with a bases loaded walk.

Each team scored a run in the fourth inning and Green Co. maintained an 8-6 advantage heading into the sixth inning. 

Lancaster evened the score at 8-8 with a two-run home run for Lafayette in the top of the sixth, and then Hendrickson put them ahead once again by blasting a three-run home run in the top of the seventh inning. Lafayette added a run on an error and got a RBI-single from Stietz and a RBI-groundout from Baumgartner to increase the lead to 14-8.

Argyle’s Clay Ritschard stuck out the side in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the victory for Lafayette Co. Ritschard tossed two scoreless innings, striking out five batters and allowing just a single walk to earn the win. He also scored three times in the game to aid the cause.

At the plate, Hendrickson finished 2-for-4 with a homer, four RBI and a run scored. Stietz went 2-for-4 with a double, three RBI and two runs, and Lancaster went 2-for-4 with a homer, two runs and two RBU.

Jayden Johnson added two hits, three runs and a RBI for Lafayette, while Darlington’s Cayden Rankin went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.

For Green Co., Monroe’s Colin Foley was 2-for-2 with two runs scored. Senobe and Searles each drove in a run and scored another for their team. 

When it was all said and done, the real winner on the day was the Justice For A Cure organization, who will receive a donation of $4,400 from event organizer Christina Foley from all the fundraising efforts held during the game, including donation pots, concession stand food and merchandising sales.

All the proceeds raised from the event will be donated to local community members who are dealing with cancer through Justice For A Cure.

Along with the players and those running the donation stands, the coaching staffs of each team, the PA announcers and the umpiring crew were made up of volunteers who donated their time to make this first-time event a huge success.

Breast cancer survivor Renee Setterstrom sang the National Anthem, and Kaelie “The Incredible” Wunschel — a 9-year-old from Monroe currently undergoing cancer treatments — threw out the first pitch in game two.

For more details on how to make a donation or become a sponsor for next year’s event, contact Christina Foley at allstarallcancer@gmail.com. There is also a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/allstarallcancergames. 

Donations can be sent to: Justice For A Cure — Attn: All-Star All-Cancer Games, 2935 S. Fish Hatchery Rd. #333, Madison, WI, 53711.