NEW GLARUS - A momentum shift in sports is a tricky thing. If you're Lee Vlasak, a fastball isn't.
Trailing 4-2 in the top of the fourth inning, Vlasak sent a fastball from New Glarus pitcher Matt Felt to the fence in left center, driving in two runs on his way to a triple. The hit changed the momentum of Wednesday's baseball game, and the Vikings went on to win, 14-7.
"A big hit and we didn't make plays," New Glarus head coach Warren Howard said of the difference in the game. "We walked a few and let up a few hits, and that's what helped them turn the momentum."
The 3-hour contest started as a back-and-forth battle. Vlasak led off the game with a walk, took second on a wild pitch and stole third base before scoring.
The Glarner Knights countered, scoring two in the bottom of the inning. Leadoff hitter Ryan Bright singled to right field, stole second and advanced to third on a bunt. He scored on Felt's double to deep center field. Two hitters later, Nick Stuessy singled to left field to score Felt.
Pecatonica tied the score in the second, only to see Felt and Stuessy each score in the fourth to give New Glarus a 4-2 lead.
After hitting the fourth-inning triple, Vlasak scored on a wild pitch to give Pecatonica a 5-4 lead. Milton Kurschner came home to score shortly after that when Devin Jeglum's pop fly was dropped.
"Lee and Milton are the leaders of our team. They've played the most baseball on the team and I expect the most from them," Pecatonica head coach Jim Strommen said. "Milton puts a lot of pressure on pitchers and defenses. He's a smart player and a great base runner."
Relief pitcher Tannar Johnson kept New Glarus off the board despite loading the bases with just one out.
Then, in the top of the fifth, freshman Tanner Kleppe singled to right field to score two more runs, extending Pec's lead to 8-4.
The Knights scored three in the bottom of the fifth to pull within a run, but Pecatonica prevailed, scoring five runs in the top of the sixth.
"(Pecatonica is) always a very good team to play. (And) we're a young team, and we just need to look to get better every day," Howard said. The Knights committed five errors.
Pecatonica scored a final run in the top of the seventh. Jeglum, who came into the game in relief for Johnson during the sixth inning, loaded the bases in the seventh before getting an infield fly and striking out two batters looking.
"I asked Devin if he needed to get the bases loaded before he gets an out," Strommen joked. When Jeglum entered in the sixth inning, the bases also were loaded with nobody out.
"We got some pitching from some of our sophomores before that," Strommen said of Johnson and starter Kevin Swenson.
New Glarus finished the game with 16 hits, three apiece from Felt and Stuessy and two from Bright and Lane Sunde.
Kurschner had a double, four walks and scored three times, Kleppe singled and was hit twice, and Jake Rindy scored three times.
"We played a lot of small ball with a lot of bunting and squeezes. And that's what we have to do, put the ball in play," Strommen said.
Trailing 4-2 in the top of the fourth inning, Vlasak sent a fastball from New Glarus pitcher Matt Felt to the fence in left center, driving in two runs on his way to a triple. The hit changed the momentum of Wednesday's baseball game, and the Vikings went on to win, 14-7.
"A big hit and we didn't make plays," New Glarus head coach Warren Howard said of the difference in the game. "We walked a few and let up a few hits, and that's what helped them turn the momentum."
The 3-hour contest started as a back-and-forth battle. Vlasak led off the game with a walk, took second on a wild pitch and stole third base before scoring.
The Glarner Knights countered, scoring two in the bottom of the inning. Leadoff hitter Ryan Bright singled to right field, stole second and advanced to third on a bunt. He scored on Felt's double to deep center field. Two hitters later, Nick Stuessy singled to left field to score Felt.
Pecatonica tied the score in the second, only to see Felt and Stuessy each score in the fourth to give New Glarus a 4-2 lead.
After hitting the fourth-inning triple, Vlasak scored on a wild pitch to give Pecatonica a 5-4 lead. Milton Kurschner came home to score shortly after that when Devin Jeglum's pop fly was dropped.
"Lee and Milton are the leaders of our team. They've played the most baseball on the team and I expect the most from them," Pecatonica head coach Jim Strommen said. "Milton puts a lot of pressure on pitchers and defenses. He's a smart player and a great base runner."
Relief pitcher Tannar Johnson kept New Glarus off the board despite loading the bases with just one out.
Then, in the top of the fifth, freshman Tanner Kleppe singled to right field to score two more runs, extending Pec's lead to 8-4.
The Knights scored three in the bottom of the fifth to pull within a run, but Pecatonica prevailed, scoring five runs in the top of the sixth.
"(Pecatonica is) always a very good team to play. (And) we're a young team, and we just need to look to get better every day," Howard said. The Knights committed five errors.
Pecatonica scored a final run in the top of the seventh. Jeglum, who came into the game in relief for Johnson during the sixth inning, loaded the bases in the seventh before getting an infield fly and striking out two batters looking.
"I asked Devin if he needed to get the bases loaded before he gets an out," Strommen joked. When Jeglum entered in the sixth inning, the bases also were loaded with nobody out.
"We got some pitching from some of our sophomores before that," Strommen said of Johnson and starter Kevin Swenson.
New Glarus finished the game with 16 hits, three apiece from Felt and Stuessy and two from Bright and Lane Sunde.
Kurschner had a double, four walks and scored three times, Kleppe singled and was hit twice, and Jake Rindy scored three times.
"We played a lot of small ball with a lot of bunting and squeezes. And that's what we have to do, put the ball in play," Strommen said.
