SOUTH WAYNE - The Black Hawk baseball team was able to overcome a shaky start against Albany Wednesday, May 29 as the Warriors knocked off the Comets, 8-6, in a Division 4 regional semifinal.
Both teams committed two errors in the first inning and both allowed the other team to score three in the opening frame. Black Hawk pitcher Cory Rupnow got in a groove after that, though, and kept the Albany offense from scoring again until the seventh inning.
"Cory Rupnow settled down after that first inning and our whole team did," said Black Hawk coach Jeff Solberg. "We came out a little shaky. We had two errors right away and they scored on 'em. We came back and answered in the bottom of the first. It shows our senior leadership."
Black Hawk added two runs in the third and three more in the sixth on a Logan Stietz home run to take an 8-3 lead into the final inning. But the Comets didn't throw in the towel. Albany pushed three runs across and still had two runners in scoring position with just one out in the inning. Solberg decided to stick with Rupnow, though, and it paid off, as the Black Hawk senior was able to work out of the inning.
"It was 8-5. They had runners on second and third. We had one out. Basically, Cory was pitching good. They had the bottom of the order up, their 7, 8, and 9 hitters. If they got past nine, I would have thought about putting Merik (Meythaler) in. I just told him to relax and he went out and got the next two guys," Solberg said.
Leading Albany offensively were Tyler Dahl, Mitchell Kauk, and Mitchell Trow, each of whom went 2-for-4 at the plate. Senior Logan Stietz was the top hitter for the Warriors with a 2-for-4 day at the plate including the home run, two runs scored, and three RBIs.
"Logan definitely brought his 'A' game tonight," Solberg said. "In the first inning, we had to put him out in left field. He started in right. Our left fielder misplayed a ball, so we took him out and moved Logan to left. He really responded well with a bunch of catches. He hit the ball hard and had the home run. That's what a leader needs to do."
Black Hawk, the top seed, will play for a regional championship today, May 30 at home against second-seeded Burlington Catholic Central. Solberg said he doesn't know much about the Hilltoppers, but he does know it won't be an easy game for the Warriors.
"I know they beat Williams Bay, 6-0, on Tuesday. I don't know a whole lot besides at the seeding meeting their coach said they haven't played a Division 4 team yet. They're always a good team, they play in a tough conference, and they play a lot of big schools. It will be tough for sure."
Both teams committed two errors in the first inning and both allowed the other team to score three in the opening frame. Black Hawk pitcher Cory Rupnow got in a groove after that, though, and kept the Albany offense from scoring again until the seventh inning.
"Cory Rupnow settled down after that first inning and our whole team did," said Black Hawk coach Jeff Solberg. "We came out a little shaky. We had two errors right away and they scored on 'em. We came back and answered in the bottom of the first. It shows our senior leadership."
Black Hawk added two runs in the third and three more in the sixth on a Logan Stietz home run to take an 8-3 lead into the final inning. But the Comets didn't throw in the towel. Albany pushed three runs across and still had two runners in scoring position with just one out in the inning. Solberg decided to stick with Rupnow, though, and it paid off, as the Black Hawk senior was able to work out of the inning.
"It was 8-5. They had runners on second and third. We had one out. Basically, Cory was pitching good. They had the bottom of the order up, their 7, 8, and 9 hitters. If they got past nine, I would have thought about putting Merik (Meythaler) in. I just told him to relax and he went out and got the next two guys," Solberg said.
Leading Albany offensively were Tyler Dahl, Mitchell Kauk, and Mitchell Trow, each of whom went 2-for-4 at the plate. Senior Logan Stietz was the top hitter for the Warriors with a 2-for-4 day at the plate including the home run, two runs scored, and three RBIs.
"Logan definitely brought his 'A' game tonight," Solberg said. "In the first inning, we had to put him out in left field. He started in right. Our left fielder misplayed a ball, so we took him out and moved Logan to left. He really responded well with a bunch of catches. He hit the ball hard and had the home run. That's what a leader needs to do."
Black Hawk, the top seed, will play for a regional championship today, May 30 at home against second-seeded Burlington Catholic Central. Solberg said he doesn't know much about the Hilltoppers, but he does know it won't be an easy game for the Warriors.
"I know they beat Williams Bay, 6-0, on Tuesday. I don't know a whole lot besides at the seeding meeting their coach said they haven't played a Division 4 team yet. They're always a good team, they play in a tough conference, and they play a lot of big schools. It will be tough for sure."
