HOLLANDALE — The Hollandale Rockies plated 10 runs in the home half of the sixth inning to snap a 2-2 tie and sink the visiting Wiota Indians, 12-2, in a Home Talent League exhibition baseball game played July 5 at Hollandale Park.
The Indians tied the score at 2-2 in the top of the sixth inning when Jesse Sturtz led off with a walk, promptly stole second base and then came in on back-to-back grounders to shortstop.
The Rockies had the first eight batters reach safely to start off their half of the sixth frame. Austin Fahey’s RBI-single put the hosts back into the lead to stay. A run-scoring fielder’s choice by Brock Kelly was followed by three consecutive bases-loaded walks and a sacrifice fly-RBI off the bat of Miles Rolli to push the advantage to 8-2.
Then, Griffin Rear walked to reload the bases, and Jared Rear emptied them by blasting a grand slam home run to put Hollandale ahead 12-2.
Wiota got out of the inning without any further damage, but the Indians were put down in order in the top of the seventh by Ryan Kleppe to end the game by the 10-run mercy rule.
Fahey, who started the game on the mound for the Rockies, gave himself an early lead with a RBI-single in the second stanza.
Wiota evened the score in the third when Sturtz brought in shortstop Rooney Janecke with a bloop double down the left field line, however the Rockies answered right back with a run of their own in the bottom of the third when Rolli started off a two-out rally with a single and later scored on a bases-loaded walk by Kyle Thompson to make it 2-1.
Kleppe worked four innings on the mound to earn the victory, yielding a run on no hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Fahey pitched three innings, giving up a run on four hits with a walk and two Ks.
Barry Schliem relieved Sturtz in the fifth and took the loss after surrendering eight runs (seven earned) on one hit and seven walks. Sturtz struck out eight over four innings, while allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks.
Fahey finished 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored for the Rockies, who had 11 players score in game and seven drive in runs. Thompson walked three times, scored twice and had a RBI, while Jared Rear drove in four with his homer.
Brad Schliem and Cade Janecke added singles for the Indians, who managed just four hits on the day.
Wiota has a scheduled game at 1 p.m. July 12 at home against Blanchardville.
Blanchardville 8, Argyle 2
ARGYLE — The Blanchardville Bullets finished off a fine holiday weekend by downing the host Argyle Beavers, 8-2, in a Home Talent League exhibition baseball game played July 5 at Argyle Legion Community Park.
After holding Shullsburg/Benton to no runs on just two hits the day before, the Bullets remained on the mark on Sunday limiting the Beavers to only two runs on two hits en route to their second victory in as many days.
Argyle took an early 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning when Lance Rossing walked and came around to score on a groundout by Drew Nafzger.
The Bullets struck for two runs in the third inning to overtake the Beavers, and then tacked on two runs in the fourth and added four insurance runs in the sixth to go ahead 8-1.
Brooks Chandler singled and scored for the guests in the third, and then doubled and scored again in the fifth to guide the rally. Colton Schraepfer drove in a run and scored another for the Bullets.
Gavin Johnson singled and scored for Argyle in the seventh, but it was too little too late as the Bullets got out of a bases-loaded jam to seal the decision.
Jared Carney threw six innings on no-hit ball and struck out eight batters on his way to the victory on the mound. Chandler, Kyle Kleppe and Cory Linder each had two hits to lead the Bullets at the plate.
Jared Dillon singled in the seventh for the only other hit for the Beavers.
Blanchardville 2, Shullsburg/Benton 0
Belleville 12, Shullsburg/Benton 4
SHULLSBURG — The Shullsburg/Benton baseball team took to the field twice in the heat over the holiday weekend, but the Fever could not find a way to heat up their bats as they fell to the Blanchardville Bullets, 2-0, July 4 at Shullsburg’s Badger Park, and again to the Belleville Raiders, 12-4, at Albany the next day.
The Bullets’ pitchers were on target on the Fourth, limiting the Fever to just two hits and three total base runners for the game. None of the hosts’ runners made it to second base as the Bullets played flawless defense.
The Fever got singles from catcher Connor Crotty in the first inning and first baseman Jacob Green in the second, but both players were erased on inning-ending double plays.
Outfielder Nathan Hendrickson walked to lead off the Fever fourth, but Bullets’ starter Carter Ruegsegger retired the next three batters in order to get out of the inning, and then set down 12 straight Fever batters before giving way to reliever Drew Schliem in the ninth, who extended the streak to 18 consecutive outs with a 1-2-3 effort.
The Bullets grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when Cole Breuer was hit by a pitch, stole second base and scored on Kyle Kleppe’s two-out, RBI-single.
Blanchardville added to their lead in the sixth when Kleppe led off with a single and came around to score on Ruegsegger’s RBI-double.
Kleppe finished 2-for-3 with a run and a RBI, while Brooks Chandler went 2-for-2 with a double and reachd four times thanks to a pair of walks. Ruegsegger’s double was the Vikings’ only other hit.
Ruegsegger earned the win on the mound, firing eight shutout innings yielding two hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. Schliem picked up the save with a K for the guests.
Fever starter Jacob Berendes took the loss after giving up a run on two hits and five walks while fanning eight batters.
At Albany, the Fever jumped out to a 4-0 lead after four innings of play, but the host Raiders struck back with 12 unanswered runs over their next four turns at bat to run away with a 12-4 decision.
Curtis Sheahan was a thorn in the Fever’s side at the plate and on the mound throughout the game. Sheahan went 3-for-4 with four runs batted in and two runs scored after drilling a home run, a triple and a double for the Raiders, and he earned the victory in relief by firing four no-hit, shutout innings with 10 Ks and three walks.
Justin Crotty gave the Fever an early 1-0 lead with his solo home run in the top of the third inning, and the advantage swelled to 4-0 in the fourth thanks to an RBI-double by Zach Lieb and a two-run home run by Nathan Hendrickson.
The Raiders broke the shutout with a run in the fifth, and then cut the gap back to 4-3 with a pair of runs in the sixth.
Sheahan put the hosts ahead to stay with a two-run home run in the seventh, and Brock Gilkes followed with a solo blast to make the score 7-4. In the eighth, the Raiders tacked on five more insurance runs to run away from the Fever.
Matt Everson went 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Gilkes finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs and Sam Urqhart went 2-for-3 with a double and three runs scored for the Raiders.
Jayson Haldiman went 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Fever.
After getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the sixth, Sheahan went on to retire nine of the final 10 Fever batters he faced, setting down seven of the final eight by strikeouts to seal the win.
Shullsburg/Benton is scheduled to host Pine Bluff/Mount Horeb at 1 p.m. July 12 at Badger Park.
