CHIPPEWA FALLS — Playing aggressive helped the Eau Claire American Legion Post 53 17U team to win 24 games and earn a berth in the Wisconsin American Legion Baseball Association 17-Under State Tournament in Chippewa Falls.

It helped them climb out of the regional consolation bracket. 

However, the state tournament was where that aggressiveness finally met its match, as Eau Claire fell 9-1 to West De Pere on Friday at Casper Park.

“Our approach wasn’t perfect,” Post 53 coach Tyler Black said. “We attacked early. A kid like that, he spins a little bit (and) mixes (it) up. He threw really well for them.”

West De Pere pitcher Andrew Susek was that kid on Friday, as he held the Eau Claire bats to just one hit and one run across seven innings.

In their prior matchup in June, it was much of the same as Susek had eight strikeouts to just two walks in a complete game shutout.

“He mixed us up and got us a little off balance,” Black said. “A lot of pop ups early in the game. I felt like they thought he was throwing harder than he actually was, so they got a little on their front foot.”

Eau Claire didn’t help themselves out in tiring Susek, swinging early in counts and doing little damage on 78 pitches faced.

West De Pere took a 2-0 lead in the first inning without recording a hit and making use of two Post 53 errors.

“Two unearned runs hurts,” Black said. “I feel like we were pretty tight today. I was trying to relax them the whole game, but they’re 16 years old, and it is what it is.”

Eau Claire pitcher Jeffrey Moretto did his part to keep his team in the game, going six innings and striking out six. But, he gave up five runs and hit three batters.

“I was trying to throw strikes off the bat because walks were bad, and I hit a few guys today,” Moretto said.

“He shoved and he beared down,” Black said. “He did what he does. We just didn’t help him out on the offensive side.”

Eau Claire’s lone hit came in its lone scoring inning, as Carter Schoonover dribbled an infield single. One batter later, Madden Berg brought home a run on an RBI groundout to make it 2-1 in the fifth inning.

“They got us going there. That was huge,” Black said.

Any momentum Eau Claire had was quickly deflated by a one-run West De Pere sixth and a six-run West De Pere seventh.

Eau Claire now moves to the consolation bracket to face Middleton at 10 a.m. on Saturday, where it’ll hope to replicate its success at state akin to losing in the regionals.

“The key is the bats. It just is,” Black said. “If we can get on top of them early, that’ll get the rest of the order going.

“I’m thinking that we have more momentum going into the second game because we know we have to win it,” Moretto said. “Last time we did it, we can do it again.”