Waterford clinches share of SLC baseball title as Racine County teams jockey for postseason position

After a busy week of baseball across Racine County last week, rainy weather has given teams a chance to rest for several days this week ahead of the final week of the regular season.

Waterford clinched at least a share of the Southern Lakes Conference championship to headline last week’s roundup of high school baseball in Racine County.

Racine County baseball roundupWaterford (16-6, 10-3 SLC)

The Wolverines clinched at least a share of the Southern Lakes Conference title last week, sweeping their series against Wilmot (9-12, 5-8 SLC) with a 7-2 win on Tuesday and a 10-2 win on Friday.

Waterford also won a nonconference game over Lutheran-Prairie (3-18) last Monday 15-4, but lost 6-5 in a game against Burlington (8-14, 4-8 SLC) this Monday. With one game left in conference play, the Wolverines lead the Badgers in the SLC standings by one game.

In last Monday’s win over the LPs, Waterford jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first inning. The Wolverines scored in all four of their half-innings at the plate before the game ended in the fifth via the mercy rule. Carter Thompson and Jack Butler each drove in three runs, while Hayden Milosh, Anthony Chapman and Braden Geary each drove in two.

Tuesday’s game against Wilmot was a closer affair than Monday’s nonconference game. The Panthers rallied to tie the game at two-all in the top of the fifth, but Waterford responded with five runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Chapman drove in the go-ahead run by getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, then Jack Krueger drove in two runs on an RBI single. An RBI double by Butler and an RBI single by Connor Harvie provided insurance runs for the Wolverines.

In the rematch Friday at Wilmot, four-run innings in the second and seventh innings helped Waterford pull away and clinch a share of the SLC Championship. Harvie drove in three runs, while Butler and Krueger each finished with two RBIs. Weston Hotopp pitched five innings, allowing one earned run and five hits.

The Wolverines had their first of two chances to secure the outright SLC championship this Monday at Burlington, but a five-run third inning kept the Demons in the game. The game was tied heading into the bottom of the sixth, where Burlington took the lead on an RBI double.

Waterford had the go-ahead run on base in the seventh inning with no outs, but the Demons escaped the jam with a ground out, strikeout, and pop out. The Wolverines will have another chance to secure the outright title in their rematch with Burlington on Thursday afternoon if weather permits. Waterford will close out its regular season with nonconference road games at New Berlin West on Friday and Brookfield East on Saturday.

Union Grove (10-10, 7-6 SLC)

The Broncos went 2-2 last week, sweeping a doubleheader against Beloit Memorial (5-15, 0-13 SLC) on Friday, Kenosha St. Joseph (17-3) last Wednesday, and Elkhorn (13-6, 8-5 SLC) this Monday.

Wednesday’s nonconference game against St. Joseph was a challenging one, as the Lancers are the No. 1-ranked team in the WBCA Division 3 State Rankings. The Broncos fell behind 10-2 but scored four runs in the final two innings. Matthew Gruber, Kevin Brau, Leo Weist, and Griffin Williams each drove in one run for Union Grove in the loss.

In Friday’s doubleheader, the Broncos dominated in both games, winning 10-0 in game one and 14-2 in game two. In game one, Cooper Dye drove in two runs, and Gruber and Kody Hage each had one RBI. Hage also pitched all six innings, allowing three hits and striking out eight.

In game two, Union Grove scored seven runs in the fifth inning to end the game two innings early. Gruber drove in three runs, and Tucker Katterhagen and Drew Dinauer drove in two.

Monday’s game against Elkhorn was a back-and-forth affair. The Elks jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Broncos tied it with a pair of RBI doubles in the third inning. Elkhorn retook the lead in the fourth and built up a 9-3 advantage, which Union Grove nearly erased completely with two runs in the sixth and three in the seventh.

The Broncos stranded the bases loaded in the sixth and stranded the tying run in scoring position to end the game. Hage and Dinauer both drove in two runs, while Dye and Dominic Pascucci each had one RBI.

Union Grove is now one game back of Elkhorn for fourth place in the SLC, with just the rematch at the Elks on Thursday remaining on the conference slate. The Broncos will also face Waukesha West in a doubleheader on Saturday.

Racine Horlick (8-10, 6-9 SEC)

The Rebels went 1-2 in a series with Kenosha Indian Trail (11-7, 10-5 SEC) last week, losing 14-4 on Tuesday, winning 4-1 on Wednesday, and losing 1-0 on Friday.

In game one, the Hawks scored seven runs in the second and six in the fourth to take control. Gavin Gain had one hit and two RBIs, while Ty Wendt and Dylan Hayek each drove in one run.

The Rebel pitching recovered impressively over the rest of the series, allowing just two runs in a pair of nailbiters. Game two was tied 1-1through five innings before Horlick broke through with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Hayek broke the tie with an RBI single, then Paul Fronjian-Friso drove in two more runs with a 2-RBI triple.

Gain pitched a complete game, allowing just one unearned run on three hits. He struck out three and walked one.

Friday’s rubber match was a pitcher’s duel, with both pitchers going the distance. The game was scoreless through five innings before Indian Trail scored the lone run of the game on a stolen base and an error with two outs in the sixth. Horlick had two runners on base in the seventh but was unable to drive them in.

Burlington (8-14, 4-8 SLC)

The Demons went 2-2 last week, getting swept in a series against Elkhorn (13-6, 8-5 SLC) but beat Wilmot (9-12, 5-8 SLC) and Waterford (16-6, 10-3 SLC).

Burlington started last week with a 3-0 win over Wilmot, then lost 11-1 and 16-0 to Elkhorn. The Demons then bounced back with a 6-5 win over Waterford this Monday.

In last Monday’s game against the Panthers, Carter Baumeister pitched a complete game shutout and allowed just four hits, striking out four and walking one. Baumeister helped his cause at the plate, driving in two runs on an RBI single and a sacrifice fly.

Baumeister also drove in Burlington’s only run in last Tuesday’s 11-1 loss at Elkhorn.

In Monday’s game against the Wolverines, the Demons fell behind 2-0 but rallied back with a five-run third inning. Burlington hit seven singles in the inning. Waterford tied the game up at five-all in the fourth inning, but the Demons pulled ahead for good on a sixth-inning RBI double hit by Charlie Appleby.

Noah Ruleford closed out the win by getting the final two outs. Appleby, Trey Kerkhoff, Weston Kairis, Jake Dummer, and Mason Tomczyk each had one RBI for Burlington.

The Demons have one more game this week, a rematch with Waterford on Thursday afternoon.

baseball Racine Case senior Jacob Haughton connects on a pitch for a double during his team’s Southeast Conference game at Oak Creek on May 13. Credit: Matt HardestyRacine Case (7-12, 5-10 SEC)

The Eagles went 0-4 last week, getting swept by Oak Creek (14-4, 12-3 SEC) during the week and losing a makeup game at Franklin (16-4, 12-3 SEC) 8-0 on Saturday.

In the series against the Knights, Case lost 6-0 on Tuesday, 6-4 on Wednesday, and 13-7 on Friday.

Game one was scoreless through four innings, but Oak Creek opened the fifth inning with their first eight batters scoring six runs. Both teams had five hits, but three errors proved costly for the Eagles.

baseball Racine Case senior shortstop Anthony Bull connects on a pitch during his team’s Southeast Conference game at Oak Creek on May 13. Credit: Matt Hardesty

Case outhit the Knights in game two, but two wild pitches and an error helped Oak Creek build an early 4-1 lead. Ben Neimeyer, Gus Etes, and Gavin Vela each had one RBI for the Eagles. Jacob Haughton pitched four innings, allowed three hits and two earned runs, and struck out five.

Friday’s series finale was once again decided in the early innings. Case led 3-2 early, but Oak Creek scored 10 runs in the bottom of the second inning. Chad Mortensen drove in two runs, and Cameron Bongiovanni, Tyler Brochhausen, Caleb LaMartina, and Vela each had one RBI.

The Eagles will face Horlick this week in Southeast Conference play.

Racine St. Catherine’s (4-14, 3-8 MCC)

The Angels went 0-3 last week, losing two nonconference games and a Metro Classic Conference game at Martin Luther (12-5, 6-3 MCC).

St. Catherine’s started the week with a 12-7 loss at East Troy (13-6), then lost 12-2 to the Spartans and 4-3 to St. Augustine Prep (5-13). In the loss to East Troy, Findlay Lalor drove in two runs to lead the Angels. Nathanyel Callis, Stephen Straszewski, Devlyn Kellogg, Matthew Feuerstein, and Caden Fraley each drove in one run.

Callis and Javon Vinson had the two RBIs in Tuesday’s loss at Martin Luther.

In Friday’s nonconference game against St. Augustine Prep, the Angels led 3-1 heading into the final inning before the Lions rallied for three runs in the seventh. Isaac Cantu had two RBIs, and Lalor drove in one. Callis had an outstanding start on the mound, allowing one earned run and striking out 10 in four innings pitched.

The Angels will face University School of Milwaukee on Friday and Martin Luther on Saturday this week.

Racine Lutheran-Prairie (3-18, 0-10 MCC)

The LPs went 1-3 last week, beating Living Word Lutheran (11-10) 6-3 and losing twice to Shoreland Lutheran (10-9, 8-2 MCC) and once to Waterford (16-6).

The LPs started their week with a 15-4 loss at Waterford last Monday. Eli Gasau, Spencer Knoell, Josiah Van Swol, and Jack Hood each drove in one run during a four-run fifth inning.

In a 17-2 loss to the Pacers on Tuesday, Lutheran-Prairie was held to three hits. Kyler Godson had the team’s only RBI of the game on an RBI double. Shoreland Lutheran won Thursday’s rematch 15-2. Richard Falaschi and Jace Chacon drove in the two runs for the LPs.

The week ended on a high note for Lutheran-Prairie, as it rallied to beat Living Word Lutheran 6-3 on Friday afternoon. Trailing 3-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth, the LPs scored six runs to flip the game. Paxton Akins hit a go-ahead 2-RBI single in the big inning, then pitched two hitless innings to close out the win.

Knoell, Falaschi, and Gabe Posnanski each had one RBI in the win. Lutheran-Prairie had both of its games this week canceled due to heavy rain.

Catholic Central (2-16, 1-10 MWCC)

The Hilltoppers went 0-4 last week, losing games to Dominican (10-12), Living Word Lutheran (11-10, 9-2 MWCC), Heritage Christian (9-8, 6-6 MWCC) and Watertown Luther Prep (7-13, 4-7 MWCC).

In a 10-3 loss at Dominican last Monday, Robbie Czarny had Catholic Central’s only RBI on a sacrifice fly in the final inning.

Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to Living Word Lutheran was the closest game of the week for the Hilltoppers. Catholic Central took an early lead on an RBI single hit by Nathan Roehner, but the Timberwolves tied the game in the second, took the lead in the fifth, and added an insurance run in the seventh. Will Leiting started the game and pitched 6.1 innings, striking out eight and allowing two earned runs on seven hits.

On Friday, the Hilltoppers lost 11-1 at Watertown Luther Prep. Czarny drove in one run on an RBI groundout.

Catholic Central closed the challenging week out with an 11-0 loss to Heritage Christian. The Hilltoppers will play a doubleheader against Kenosha Christian Life this Thursday.

Racine Park (1-17, 0-15 SEC)

The Panthers went 0-3 last week, getting swept in a three-game series against Kenosha Bradford (6-12, 4-11 SEC).

Park lost game one 9-4, game two 15-1, and game three 10-0. Jesse Marquez had two RBI,s and Christian Torres and Dillon Danielson each drove in one run in game one. Roman Anderson had an RBI triple in game two.

The Panthers will play three games in two days against Kenosha Tremper this week, playing at the Trojans on Thursday and hosting a doubleheader against them on Friday.

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Waterford clinches share of SLC baseball title as Racine County teams jockey for postseason position

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