BLANCHARDVILLE - The No. 1-ranked baseball team in Division 4 has fallen for just the second time this year.
Pecatonica (21-2) lost to No. 5-ranked Barneveld (19-3) for the second time this season. Unfortunately, this time the 8-6 WIAA Division 4 regional final loss ends the Vikings' season.
"We had a great season. It was up and above anything I expected," Pecatonica coach Jim Strommen said. "I told our kids that we gave our best today, we just didn't play our best today."
The Vikings committed five errors that led to five unearned runs.
"I think we just lost this game. They didn't really win it," senior shortstop Milton Kurschner said. "We were making errors in critical situations."
Right from the beginning. Barneveld's first batter, Cody Carmody, reached on an error at third base. With one out, starting pitcher Lee Vlasak intentionally walked the Eagles' bomber, Patrick Clerkin, to put runners on first and second. Josh Slaney then doubled down the left-field line, scoring both runners. A batter later, Caleb Feller misjudged a ball in center field that allowed a third run to score.
"I let them hit the ball in the first two innings," Vlasak said.
In the bottom half of the first, Pecatonica scored a pair of runs on consecutive hits by Kurschner, Devin Jeglum and Bryan Daley.
"I told them when they came to the dugout that we needed to answer, even if it was just one run," Strommen said. "We came back with two, and against a quality pitcher in Patrick Clerkin, that's a good thing."
Barneveld scored two more runs on a pair of wild pitches from Vlasak to take a 5-2 lead. It wasn't until the home half of the third that the Vikings caught back up on the scoreboard. Harley Demler drove in two runs when his fly ball to shallow left center dropped between outfielders.
Pecatonica tied the score and took a 6-5 lead in the fourth. Jeglum hit a ground rule double to right field to score Kurschner, before scoring on sophomore Tannar Johnson's double.
"When we got the lead, I thought we were going to settle down, then we had three errors," Strommen said. "It wasn't just one play, you can go all the way around field and everyone had a mistake of some kind."
In the next half-inning, Barneveld took advantage of more Viking errors. The game score tied when a shallow fly dropped in front of Feller in shallow center. With bases loaded and two outs, Vlasak looked like he had pitched his way out of the inning when Devin Meiden hit a pop-up in the middle of the infield. However, freshman third baseman Tanner Kleppe couldn't make the catch and a pair of runs scored.
"We had our chances the last three innings. We left the bases loaded each time," Strommen said.
Jeglum, who finished with three hits, struck out swinging with the bases juiced to end the fifth. Feller did the same in the sixth, and Harley Demler finished the game swinging at strike three on a 1-2 count.
"We had our opportunities to get the big hit, but we didn't come up with it today," Strommen said.
Vlasak led off the seventh with a Charlie Hustle double down the left-field line.
"I figured I could get there. It was hit far enough toward the line and it had to be a perfect throw to get me," Vlasak said. He finished with 10 strikeouts, seven walks and six hits allowed, and went 2-for-5 at the dish.
Kurschner walked during a seven-pitch at-bat and Jeglum bunted both runners to second and third. Bryan Daley walked to load the bases before Johnson lined out to second and Demler's strikeout.
The Vikings struck out and walked nine times, collected 10 hits, and left 15 runners on base - 10 in scoring position.
"I want to thank our six seniors. They've done everything we've asked of them. When guys have a passion for the game it rubs off on everyone," Strommen said. "When you're seniors, you're a leader. It's your time and your place, regardless if you want it. They embraced the younger kids and our chemistry was strong.
Pecatonica (21-2) lost to No. 5-ranked Barneveld (19-3) for the second time this season. Unfortunately, this time the 8-6 WIAA Division 4 regional final loss ends the Vikings' season.
"We had a great season. It was up and above anything I expected," Pecatonica coach Jim Strommen said. "I told our kids that we gave our best today, we just didn't play our best today."
The Vikings committed five errors that led to five unearned runs.
"I think we just lost this game. They didn't really win it," senior shortstop Milton Kurschner said. "We were making errors in critical situations."
Right from the beginning. Barneveld's first batter, Cody Carmody, reached on an error at third base. With one out, starting pitcher Lee Vlasak intentionally walked the Eagles' bomber, Patrick Clerkin, to put runners on first and second. Josh Slaney then doubled down the left-field line, scoring both runners. A batter later, Caleb Feller misjudged a ball in center field that allowed a third run to score.
"I let them hit the ball in the first two innings," Vlasak said.
In the bottom half of the first, Pecatonica scored a pair of runs on consecutive hits by Kurschner, Devin Jeglum and Bryan Daley.
"I told them when they came to the dugout that we needed to answer, even if it was just one run," Strommen said. "We came back with two, and against a quality pitcher in Patrick Clerkin, that's a good thing."
Barneveld scored two more runs on a pair of wild pitches from Vlasak to take a 5-2 lead. It wasn't until the home half of the third that the Vikings caught back up on the scoreboard. Harley Demler drove in two runs when his fly ball to shallow left center dropped between outfielders.
Pecatonica tied the score and took a 6-5 lead in the fourth. Jeglum hit a ground rule double to right field to score Kurschner, before scoring on sophomore Tannar Johnson's double.
"When we got the lead, I thought we were going to settle down, then we had three errors," Strommen said. "It wasn't just one play, you can go all the way around field and everyone had a mistake of some kind."
In the next half-inning, Barneveld took advantage of more Viking errors. The game score tied when a shallow fly dropped in front of Feller in shallow center. With bases loaded and two outs, Vlasak looked like he had pitched his way out of the inning when Devin Meiden hit a pop-up in the middle of the infield. However, freshman third baseman Tanner Kleppe couldn't make the catch and a pair of runs scored.
"We had our chances the last three innings. We left the bases loaded each time," Strommen said.
Jeglum, who finished with three hits, struck out swinging with the bases juiced to end the fifth. Feller did the same in the sixth, and Harley Demler finished the game swinging at strike three on a 1-2 count.
"We had our opportunities to get the big hit, but we didn't come up with it today," Strommen said.
Vlasak led off the seventh with a Charlie Hustle double down the left-field line.
"I figured I could get there. It was hit far enough toward the line and it had to be a perfect throw to get me," Vlasak said. He finished with 10 strikeouts, seven walks and six hits allowed, and went 2-for-5 at the dish.
Kurschner walked during a seven-pitch at-bat and Jeglum bunted both runners to second and third. Bryan Daley walked to load the bases before Johnson lined out to second and Demler's strikeout.
The Vikings struck out and walked nine times, collected 10 hits, and left 15 runners on base - 10 in scoring position.
"I want to thank our six seniors. They've done everything we've asked of them. When guys have a passion for the game it rubs off on everyone," Strommen said. "When you're seniors, you're a leader. It's your time and your place, regardless if you want it. They embraced the younger kids and our chemistry was strong.
