BLANCHARDVILLE — With 3-2 wins over Benton-Shullsburg and Highland in its regional games, Pecatonica returns to the WIAA Sectional doubleheader for the second straight year, and this time, they host.

“Winning isn’t easy,” Pecatonica head coach Jim Strommen said. “When you work hard, you should have results. They [the kids] know that they’ve worked hard. Playing in the sectional on our home field will be nice. That was one of their goals this year was to get back and play in the sectional.”

In their last three games, the Vikings have won 3-2. This season, they’ve gone 4-1 in 3-2 games — the one loss coming to Potosi-Cassville. 

“Three in a row it’s been 3-2. I think we’ve had some good experience now in one-run games — at least at the end here,” Strommen said. “It’s a testament to them. When you win games like that you are confident when you get in another game like that.”

On Tuesday, May 31, starting pitcher Coy Ruegsegger struck out the side in the top of the first against Benton-Shullsburg. In the bottom half of the frame, he scored Tyler McKeon for a one-run lead. Ruegsegger went back to work in the second, collecting another two strikeouts — one swinging and one looking. 

His team didn’t score again until the fifth, as pinch hitter Grady Gordon hit a one-out single. Charles Anderson laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached on an error by the catcher. McKeon capitalized on the error with an RBI double to right.

The Vikings added on another run in the sixth, which proved to be the game winner. Ruegsegger led off with a single to center. Once again, Pecatonica elected to move its leadoff runner into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Carson Kurschner reached on an error by the first baseman, allowing Ruegsegger to score.

Down to their last outs in the top of the seventh, the Zephyrs rallied. Relief pitcher McKeon hit leadoff batter Heath Poppy and gave up an RBI triple to Peyton Timmerman. The Vikings traded an out for another run, as Tyler Reints grounded out to Jameson Johnson at short to make it a 3-2 game. Lukas Rue, who came in after three batters in the seventh, ended the game with two strikeouts. 

Ruegsegger earned the win, going 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He struck out six and walked two. At the plate, he went 3-for-3 with an RBI. McKeon also recorded a multiple-hit game with a double, RBI and one run scored.

Like Tuesday’s game, Pecatonica took the lead in the bottom of the first in its game against Highland on Wednesday, May 31. This time, it came on a two-run home run to left from Johnson.

“It felt great. I didn’t know it was gone,” Johnson admitted.

On the bump, Johnson continued to throw high heat, striking out two batters. The Cardinals helped the Vikings out, too, with base running mistakes. Joe Bomkamp, who was hit by a pitch, was thrown out stealing.

Pecatonica went down in order in the second, but Johnson matched starting pitcher Bomkamp’s performance, recording two more strikeouts in the top of the third. 

Highland looked to tie the game in the top of the fourth, as Blake Dax led off with a single. Ruegsegger bobbled the next ball, allowing Wes Kraisinger to score on an error. Johnson buckled down to strike out the side.

“As a pitcher, you have to be the great stone face because you will have errors, you will give up hits and the umpire might call one a ball you think is a strike,” Strommen said. “You have to let that go.”

Johnson faced more adversity in the fifth, where the Cardinals scored their first run. Dax Smelzer led off with a walk, and Bennett Smith moved him over with a sacrifice bunt. Bryce Bollant then lined an RBI single to the outfield that scored Smelzer. An error on first baseman Drew Hendrickson allowed John Dreschmeier to reach base, but Johnson escaped the inning with a strikeout and fly out.

The Vikings responded in the bottom half of the frame, as McKeon hit a one-out liner to right. Using his speed, he stretched the single into a double.

“It’s just hustle. I’ve been taught my whole life to go 110 percent,” McKeon said.

The hustle paid off, as Elijah Knutson lined an RBI single to center to plate McKeon for a 3-1 lead. The run proved to be the game winner, as Highland scored again in the sixth.

After two strikeouts, Bomkamp reached on an error by Ruegsegger. Smelzer and Smith lined back-to-back singles for a run. The inning ended as Smelzer was tagged out during a pickle trying to score the tying run.

Despite gaining the momentum on the tag play, the Vikings went down in the sixth on just four pitches.

In the seventh, Bollant led off with a single. Dreschmeier bunted to move him into scoring position, but his bunt had too much air time. Instead of catching the ball, Hendrickson covered first, allowing the ball to drop in no-man’s land.

McKeon then took matters into his own hands, striking out the next two batters looking. He then fielded Bomkamp’s grounder and sprinted to the bag to end the game.

“There’s someone behind you, but sometimes you just have to put your head down and go to work and do it yourself,” McKeon said.

The junior picked up the save and went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and two runs scored. Knutson also finished 3-for-3 with an RBI. Johnson, who was 1-for-3 with two RBIs, earned the win. He gave up one earned run on four hits and struck out 13 batters.

With the win, Pecatonica hosts the Division 4 Sectional on Tuesday, June 6. Last year, the Vikings traveled to Muscoda, where the defeated host Riverdale 7-3. Bangor then sent Pecatonica home, one game short of state, with a 9-3 win.

Pecatonica has won eight straight conference championships and will make its 13th sectional appearance. The team aims to make the program’s first trip to state.

“We’re going to get it this year,” McKeon said. “I feel it.”