High School Baseball: Union Grove returns to sectionals, falls to Oak Creek in final

SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Even in what some considered a rebuilding season, the Union Grove baseball program returned to a familiar setting.

After finishing outside the top two of the Southern Lakes Conference for the first time since 2018, the Broncos capitalized on their second season and reached Sectional Tuesday of the WIAA Baseball Tournament.

In a unique setup for high school sports, the WIAA schedules both the sectional semifinals and finals for the same day. Advancing takes talent, depth — and usually a little luck. Union Grove had plenty of the first two, but not enough breaks this time.

Senior Kody Hage pitched a gem to send the Broncos to the sectional final with a 6-0 win. But one tough inning against Oak Creek proved costly. The Knights, who never allowed a runner past second base, scored twice in the second and once in the sixth to secure a 3-0 win and earn their third trip to the WIAA State Baseball Tournament.

“It’s a long day here,” Union Grove coach Nathan Meyer said afterward. “It’s a bad day to not have some timely hitting in the biggest game of the year. But for us, from the way we started the year to where we ended, we’re a completely different team and I hope these guys learn from that.”

With the loss, Union Grove ended its season in the sectional round for the fourth straight year.

“For us to be able to do this six years in a row is a true testament to our program and the guys we have,” Meyer said. “I’m super proud of these guys and just grateful that I get to be here and do this at a school I went to.”

Hage dominates Game 1

Union Grove opened the day against Greendale, a team in a similar spot.

The Panthers, also a sectional regular, weren’t expected to make it this year after finishing 10-14 in the regular season. But they upset top-seeded Franklin in the regional final after beating Case 10-0 in the opener.

With Hage on the mound for the Broncos and Ben Hites starting for Greendale, the game featured plenty of strong pitching.

Hage was nearly perfect through three innings, allowing just one baserunner — who was thrown out trying to stretch an error into third base.

Union Grove pressured Hites with baserunners in every inning but didn’t break through until the fifth. With Hites’ pitch count climbing, Cooper Dye sparked the rally with a single. A hit-by-pitch and a walk loaded the bases, and with two outs, Jake Reesman drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 1-0.

“We know that Brady threw pretty hard,” Hage said. “He’s pretty good. We just had to try and sit on a slider. We didn’t do a great job but we got it done.”

Greendale turned to its bullpen in the sixth, and Union Grove pounced. A single and two walks loaded the bases with one out. Mason Gruber was hit by a pitch to drive in a run, and Hage followed with a bases-clearing single to right. Another run scored on an error, giving Hage a five-run cushion.

“They were just able to execute a little better than us, and they deserved it,” Greendale coach Brian Johnsen said. “They’re a good team.”

Hage retired the side in order in the seventh, finishing a complete-game shutout with nine strikeouts, no walks, and just two hits allowed.

“He hit his spots,” Johnsen said. “He had command. He could throw any pitch he wanted at any time.”

Hage, who will play at UW-Whitewater next season, couldn’t have scripted a better final high school start.

“That’s one of the best pitchers in the state, hands down,” Meyer said. “There wasn’t a game that he didn’t come out and perform for us. When we gave him the ball, we knew we had a chance to win. It was just awesome to watch him.”

Broncos can’t solve Oak Creek pitching in sectional final

After several hours off, Union Grove watched Oak Creek edge Kenosha Tremper 9-8 in a semifinal shootout. The Knights jumped out 3-0 in the first and led 8-3 after four innings. Tremper tied it in the fifth, chasing Oak Creek ace Ryan Buchta, but the Knights retook the lead on a sixth-inning solo home run.

Ben Mills came in to close, allowing one inherited runner but striking out five over 2.2 innings.

“My biggest concern going in was if we were going to have enough energy,” Oak Creek coach Scott Holler said. “Union Grove is a team that feeds off energy and their whole team is into the game, which is awesome. They’re fun to play.”

The final had little of the same offensive fireworks.

Union Grove starter Evan Northup ran into trouble in the second, allowing two singles, a walk, and a hit batter to give Oak Creek a 1-0 lead. He struck out the next two batters and limited the damage after a diving stop by Hage, who was playing first base.

“I wasn’t me that inning,” Northup said. “I got in my head, and it just went bad. The coaches came out and told me to just throw it and give it my all.”

“I’m really proud of him,” Gruber said. “Evan’s a great pitcher, and he’s one of my best friends. He’s really improved this season.”

Pryor, Oak Creek’s starter, worked out of a jam in the third after putting two on with one out, keeping Union Grove off the board.

“We’re not an offensive juggernaut,” Holler said. “Our whole season has been a lot of close games. We are who we are, and we don’t shy away from it. But we also don’t get rattled.”

Union Grove had baserunners in every inning but couldn’t break through.

“He would always start with a fastball and then hit us with a looping curveball,” Gruber said. “They would get us out in front. He had a really good breaking ball and it was hard to hit.”

“We didn’t catch a hard line drive all game,” Meyer said. “They did a good job of mixing and making some pitches.”

Northup settled down after the second, not allowing another hit until the fifth. He exited in the sixth with six strikeouts and just two hits allowed.

“It was a little nerve-wracking,” Northup said of starting a sectional final. “This showed me that I can push through and showed me what I could be. I have to have confidence when I’m there.”

“Evan earned this with his last five or six starts,” Meyer said. “He pitched his butt off. He got in a little trouble there one inning, but we should still have a chance to win if you only give up two runs.”

A leadoff single in the sixth proved costly. Pinch runner Max Hoagland stole second and third, then scored on a wild pitch to extend Oak Creek’s lead to 3-0.

Pryor hit his pitch limit in the sixth, and Mills came in again. He ended the frame with two outs on four pitches.

In the seventh, Union Grove rallied. Kevin Brau and Drew Dinauer singled, bringing up Dom Pascucci as the tying run. He struck out and was thrown out at first on a dropped third strike to end it.

“He just dotted the zone and we just missed it,” Gruber said.

“Ben has been our guy out of the bullpen all season long,” Holler said. “He’s got good enough stuff that he could start, but we’re so confident in him coming out of the bullpen and he excels in that role. He thinks once he’s in a game that he’s going to close it down.”

Oak Creek lost to Sussex Hamilton 6-1 in the state quarterfinals. Muskego won the Division 1 title with a walk-off 5-4 win over SLC co-champ Badger.

A successful season

Despite the loss, Union Grove capped a strong season.

After graduating nine seniors last year, the Broncos overcame early struggles and hit their stride by mid-May. They started 8-9 before winning nine of their final 11 games.

“It feels like not everyone believed in us this year,” Northup said. “Next year, I think we’ll be able to come back stronger.”

“Last year we got here with so much more talent,” Hage said. “This year, I think we wanted it more. We’ve got a bunch of underclassmen who play their role and do their job.”

Union Grove graduates six seniors: Hage, Cody Ashburn, Ethan Meves, Matthew Gruber, Killian Helt, and Leo Weist. Gruber, Hage, and Weist were starters; Ashburn was a reliable pitcher.

“With only 19 kids and six seniors on the team, I haven’t had a team like that in a long time,” Meyer said. “It’s exciting. These guys all got a taste of this in their first year on varsity.”

Gruber will play at Madison College next year — one of the nation’s top junior college programs.

“I’m just so proud of this team and how we did it,” Gruber said. “There’s eight or nine sophomores that are going to break out next year along with some good juniors and a couple seniors. They’re going to make a good run.”

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