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Middleton (21-6) vs. Bay Port (24-5) Game 6 -- Division 1 semifinal

Final -- Bay Port 3, Middleton 2



WP -- Gaura; LP -- Adler



Leading hitters: Bay Port -- Dominic Utrie 2-4, GW-RBI; Logan Peot 2-4. Middleton -- Brooks Braga 2-4, RBI; Travis Martin 2-3, 2B, RBI.



Bay Port (25-5) advances to play Wilmot (24-5) in the Division 1 state championship game on Thursday at 6 p.m.



Middleton ends its season 21-7.





7th Inning -- Final at bat for Middleton unless it can tie the game at 2-2. Up for the Cardinals will be Kevin Drunasky (0-2), Ben Mathias (0-2) and Travis Martin (1-2).



Drunasky opens the inning with a single down the left-field line. He is pinch run for by a No. 1, who isn't listed in the program but moves to second on a sacrifice by Ben Mathias. Martin delivers a run-scoring double to left-center to tie the score at 2-2.



Shane Adler, who pitched only five innings in the quarterfinal win over Janesville Craig, is warming up for Middleton. He has two innings left to pitch today.



Martin is thrown out at third on an infield grounder by Aaron Gowan. Gaura then strikes out Brooks Braga to end the inning.



Braga moves from DH to third base and Adler comes in to pitch for the Cardinals in the bottom of the seventh inning.



Adler hit No. 9 hitter Brad Klimek with a pitch. Sean Grabig fouled out to Braga on a bunt attempt. Klimek then stole second and Andrew Murphy walked. Logan Peot hit a nubber to third that Braga failed to field to load the bases with one out.



Clean-up hitter Dominic Utrie appears to try to call time but doesn't get it. Instead he fights off a pitch and lines a single to right field for the game-winner.



6th Inning -- Middleton goes 1-2-3 and has just three outs left to catch Bay Port.



Middleton shortstop Aaron Gowan calls time to have an infield meeting, probably about the baserunner on second base tipping pitches to the batter. Acker, at 6-4, towers over Gowan, who is 5-5 at best.



Zac Peterson now up with runners at first and second and two outs for Bay Port. Peterson works the count to 2-2 before Acker strikes him out for his fifth punch out of the game.



5th Inning -- Travis Martin opens the inning with an infield single, moves to second on  Aaroon Gowan's sacrifice bunt and to third on a wild pitch. Brooks Braga ties the game at 1-1 with a line drive single to right field to score Martin.  Braga is now 3-5 today with three RBI.



However, Braga is cut down at second base on a steal attempt and Gaura strikes out Garrett Novinski to end the Cardinals' inning.



For the third straight inning, Bay Port gets its lead-off batter on when Zac Peterson singles to left field. Brad Klimek then executes a sacrifice bunt that Shane Adler can't handle at third. His throw to first is late which puts baserunners on first and second with no outs. Credit Klimek with a sacrifice and Adler with an error.



Dylan Acker bounces back and strikes out Sean Grabig and retires Andrew Murphy on a foul out to first baseman Ben Mathias. But Logan Peot singles past Adler at third to score Peterson for a 2-1 Bay Port lead.



11:07 p.m. -- The rain is becoming a bit more steady and intense.



4th Inning -- AJ Gaura set down Middleton 1-2-3 in the fourth and has retired nine of the last 11 batters he has faced. He also has five strikeouts.



Josh Jaro opened the Bay Port half of the inning with a double high off the left-center field wall. After Acker goes 2-1 on Gaura, Middleton pitching coach Paul Dimmig makes a visit to the mound. Acker gets Gaura on a fly ball to left.



Catcher Kevin Drunasky then throws out Jaro attemptng to steal third. Dominic Putala follows it with a line drive to the left-center field gap. Middleton center fielder Derek Layton comes up with a spectacular play when he stretches full out and makes a diving catch for the defensive Play of the Day.



The rain is intensifying and it appeared the umpires were going to ask for the tarp. But instead, they order Bay Port out onto the field for the top of the fifth inning.



10:54 p.m. -- We've had a steady light rain for the past half hour but it hasn't been heavy enough to force a delay.



10:50 p.m. -- Middleton's Shane Adler was named the Player of the Year in the Big Eight Conference this season.



3rd Inning -- Brooks Braga singled to left and Garrett Novinski followed with a single that eluded third baseman Dominic Utrie to put Cardinals on first and second base.  Braga tagged up and advanced to third base on a deep fly ball to center field by Derek Layton. AJ Gaura needs just one pitch to Shane Adler to induce an inning-ending force out.



Bay Port's Andrew Murphy just smashed a double to the gap in left-center field to score Brad Klimek, who had opened the inning with a single to center and moved to third on a sacrifice and a wild pitch. Acker retires the final two Pirates on infield outs.



Bay Port 1, Middleton 0 after three innings.



10:35 p.m. -- Bay Port starting pitcher AJ Gaura was the winning pitcher in the Pirates' 4-1 victory over Wausau West in the sectional final. He struck out 10 and walked just one.



2nd Inning -- Middleton is retired in order, while Bay Port gets a two-out walk. But Dylan Acker gets a strikeout for the final out of the inning.



1st Inning -- Middleton threatened in the first inning with three baserunners but Bay Port right fielder Sean Grabig, who got the win in the Pirates 8-1 win over Sun Prairie in the quarterfinals, threw out Garrett Novinski at the plate to end the inning.



Pirates' first baseman Logan Peot had a two-out single but Middleton pitcher Dylan Acker got cleam-up hitter Dominic Utrie on a called third strike to end the first.



****



It's 10:02 p.m. and the teams have been introduced. Bay Port is the home team so Middleton will hit first.



Here are the lineups for the sixth and final game of the day. The winner will meet Wilmot for the Division 1 state championship Thursday at 6 p.m.



MIDDLETON (21-6)



1 - Brooks Braga, DH

2 - Garrett Novinski, 2B

3 - Derek Layton, CF

4 - Shane Adler, 3B

5 - Romie Ripp lf

6 - Kevin Drunasky, C

7 - Ben Mathias, 1B

8 - Travis Martin, RF

9 - Aaron Gowan, SS

-- Dylan Acker, P



BAY PORT (24-5)

1 - Sean Grabig, RF

2 - Andrew Murphy, C

3 - Logan Peot, 1B

4 - Dominic Utrie, 3B

5 - Josh Jaro, LF

6 - AJ Gaura, P

7 - Dominic Putala, SS

8 - Zac Peterson, CF

9 - Brad  Klimek, 2B  



****



It's 9:32. The final Division 1 game of the day will start shortly after 10 p.m.



We're just waiting for the lineups.



Semifinals for the other three Divisions are tomorrow beginning with Division 4 at 8 a.m.



Wilmot (23-5) vs. Eau Claire North (20-4) Game 5 -- Division 1 semifinal



Final -- Wilmot 4, Eau Claire North 0



WP -- Quincy Berg; LP -- Matt Prosek



Leading hitters: Wilmot -- Landon Tenhagen 3-4; Justice Reichwein 3-5, 2B; Brendon Hayden 2-4, run, RBI; Tyler Thomas 2-4, run.

As we go to the bottom of the seventh, it is 9:23 p.m. The starting time for the semifinal with Middleton and Bay Port should start shortly after 10 p.m.



Eau Claire North has yet to get a baserunner past second base.



Wilmot allowed a combined three runs in cruising into the state finals. The Panthers knocked off 2008 state champion Kenosha Bradford 4-2 in the sectional finals, beat 2007 state champion and 2008 state runner-up Kimberly 4-3 in the state quarterfinals and ousted Eau Claire North 4-0 in the state semifinals. Wilmot has allowed three runs or less in eight of its last nine games.

 

7th Inning -- Trevor Epping just added an insurance run for Wilmot to give the Panthers a 4-0 lead. Epping reached base on a one-out walk, moved to second on a wild pitch, to third on an infield out by Justice Reichwein and scored on a wild pitch.



Both Reichwein and Landon Tenhagen have three hits for Wilmot.



9:12 p.m. -- More on Quincy Berg: The 6-2, 195-pound junior hasn't been overpowering. But in fashioning a two-hit shutout, he has gone right at the Huskies' hitters. He has also received stellar support from his defense. On offense, Wilmot has had at least one hit every inning and outhit North 12-2.



Wilmot is looking to advance to the state title game for the first time since it was runner-up in Class B in 1989. The Panthers won the 1970 state title.

 

6th Inning -- Wilmot now has the bases loaded with two outs. The Panthers have outhit EC North 11-2 and had 17 baserunners so far but just two runs.  While Wilmot is still looking for a big hit, Jay Christian just worked a 3-2 count for ball four and forced in Justice Reichwein, who opened the inning with a double, his third hit of the game.



The Panthers have left 13 runners on base but now lead 3-0.



Lefty Quincy Berg continues to baffle EC North. Through six innings, he has allowed just two hits with two walks and three strikeouts. The Huskies have managed just four baserunners so far.



8:38 p.m. -- Wilmot has had 14 baserunners but stranded 10 so far, two in each inning.



4th Inning -- Wilmot extended its lead to 2-0 on Brendon Hayden's RBI single. Eau Claire North broke up Quincy Berg's bid for a perfect game in the bottom of the fourth when Davey Fischer drew a one-out walk and Tyler Brown sent a soft liner to center field. But Berg retired the next two Huskies on a pair of fly balls to preserve the shutout.  



3rd Inning -- Wilmot took a 1-0 lead on back-to-back singles by Brendon Hayden and Landon Tenhagen and an error by North shortstop Tyler Herrmann when he dropped a popup down the left-field line by Jay Christian with two outs.



Quincy Berg then retired Eau Claire North 1-2-3 for the third straight inning. He is perfect threw three innings.



2nd Inning -- With one out, Huskies pitcher Matt Prosek hit Wilmot pitcher Quincy Berg with a pitch. Tyler Thomas followed with a single and one out later, Justice Reichwein lined a single to center. Berg tried to score from second but center fielder Nate Robertson threw a strike to home plate and catcher Corey Bonnin made the tag for the third out.



Wilmot has four hits in two innings but nothing to show for them.



But Berg keeps Eau Claire North at bay, retiring the Huskies 1-2-3 in the second.

 

1st Inning -- Eau Claire North ace Matt Prosek only pitched one inning in the Huskies 18-2 quarterfinal win over Milwaukee Riverside so he is back to start tonight's first semifinal game and has six innings available to pitch.



Wilmot reached Prosek for a pair of singles sandwiched around a pair of strikeouts. But Prosek retired Chris Nelson on a fly ball to Jordan Dickerson in right field to end the threat.



Lefty Quincy Berg counters for Wilmot with a 1-2-3 first inning including a long fly ball to center field by the Huskies' No. 3 hitter Tyler Brown.



****



First pitch at 7:15 p.m.



****



It's 7:07 p.m. and the coaches and umpires are meeting at home plate. 



The first of two semifinals feature an upset winner in Wilmot -- which knocked off last year's state champion Kenosha Bradford in the sectional finals and last year's state runner-up and 2007 state champion Kimberly in the first state quarterfinal game of the day -- and Eau Claire North, which routed Milwaukee Riverside 18-2 in the second state quarterfinal game today.



Wilmot starts five sophomores and a freshman. The Panthers have just three seniors but just one starts: right fielder Joe Felgenhauer.



Eau Claire North has six seniors, including five who start.



Following are the starting lineups:



Wilmot Union

1 - Justice Reichwein, C

2 - Joe Felgenhauer, RF

3 - Brendon Hayden, SS

4 - Landon Tenhagen, CF

5 - Chris Nelson, 2B

6 - Jay Christian, 1B

7 - Quincy Berg, P

8 - Tyler Thomas, LF

9 - Trevor Epping, 3B



Eau Claire North

1 - Seth Hurt, LF

2 - Davey Fischer, 2B

3 - Tyler Brown, 1B

4 - Tom Mewhorter, DH

5 - Tyler Herrmann, SS

6 - Matt Prosek, P

7 - Corey Bonnin, C

8 - Jordan Dickerson, RF

9 - Nate Robertson, CF

-- Mitch DeGrasse, 3B