BLANCHARDVILLE — It looked bleak, but the Blanchardville Bullets were able to rally in the ninth to tie Wiota and send the opening game of the Home Talent Sunday League baseball playoffs into extra innings.

Then, leading off the 10th and shaking away two errors from earlier in the game and with an 0 for 4 start, Kyle Kleppe unloaded on a fastball off Wiota reliever Jeff Solberg. The high fly cleared the fence in centerfield and the Bullets celebrated at home plate with a 7-6 victory.

“I was looking for something to drive and got a fastball up,” Kleppe said. “I just tried to do with it what I could.”

Blanchardville moves on in the tournament chase and will play at Pine Bluff/Mount Horeb, which defeated Argyle 7-2.

Carter Ruegsegger started the game for Blanchardville and was steady early on. He stranded a pair of runners in the first and had four strikeouts through two innings. The first run against Ruegsegger came in the second when Tyler Osterday reached on a fielding error by Kleppe. Osterday’s courtesy runner Cade Janecke scored on a single by Will Schwartz to put the Indians ahead 1-0. 

Blanchardville tied it at 1 in the bottom of the fourth, but the wheels fell off for Ruegsegger in the sixth. After getting the first two batters out, the Bullets righty allowed six straight batters to reach safely. Jesse Sturtz doubled and Tyler Tortsenson-Harris switched places with him with a shot to left. Will Schwartz and Jeff Solberg singled with a Rooney Janecke walk sandwiched between. Then Hayden Hardyman cleared the bases with a double and the hook was made.

Reliever Drew Schliem got Tommy Meier to fly to center to end the frame, but the damage was done and the home team trailed 6-1.

The Bullets found themselves in difficulty trying to figure out Wiota ace Ben Conway. Blanchardville had just four singles and a walk through five innings against the slinging righty, but needing to respond to the big top half of the sixth, the Bullets came through in the bottom half of the frame.

Colton Schraepfer and Carson Carmody had back-to-back singles to left to put two men on with no outs in the frame. Cody Carmody then grounded into a fielder’s choice and Schliem came through with a big RBI double. With two outs, Ruegsegger singled to right to make it 6-4.

“We were a little bit dead when we were down, so it was good to get a couple of runs in and the momentum back on our side,” Kleppe said.

Still trailing 6-4 in the bottom of the ninth, the Bullets got a kickstart from No. 9-hitter Presley Hauser, who drew a one-out walk. Brooks Chandler then smacked an RBI double to knock Conway out of the game in favor of Solberg, who came in from center. Schraepfer then bounced to short, with Chandler beating the throw and the tag at third. Carmody then hit a hard bouncer off the chest of Rooney Janecke, which allowed the tying run to score.

In the top of the 10th, Wiota went down 1-2-3, but not without a mistake on the basepaths. Torstenson-Harris had singled and moved to second, but on a fly ball to right field he faked an advancement, leading to a hard do-or-die throw to third. Kleppe missed the ball, which bounced off the fence in foul territory. Torstenson-Harris took off for third, but Kleppe flipped to Schraepfer, who put on the tag to get the third out.

Schliem held the Indians to just one hit and a hit batter in the final 2.2 innings of work — he struck out four batters as well.

“(Drew) has been great all year coming in when we need him. That’s just the way he is; the teammate he is. We’re just glad he’s on our side,” Kleppe said.

Moments after the out at third, Kleppe hauled off on a high heater to end the game.

Will Schwartz was 3 for 6 in the game for Wiota, while Hardyman was 3 for 5 and Torstenson-Harris was 2 for 5. Chandler was 3 for 5 for Blanchardville while Carmody and Schliem were each 2 for 5. 

“It gives us a lot of confidence and energy going into the next game, so hopefully we can continue this and get one next week, too,” Kleppe said.

Wiota ends the season with a 10-7 record. Blanchardville (11-6) plays Pine Bluff (13-4) at 1 p.m. Aug. 11 at Mount Horeb High School.