Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

By DENNIS SEMRAU 

Wissports.net 

  

GRAND CHUTE – When Zach Forray arrived at Fox Cities Stadium on Tuesday, the Waterford junior right-hander was in hurry-up-and-wait mode. 

  

After missing over three weeks late in the season with an ankle injury that he had suffered in gym class, the last thing that Forray wanted was a rain delay. 

  

But Forray not only survived a late start due to rain early in the day but a lengthy rain delay during his game as well en route to pitching Waterford to a 13-5 victory over Hartford in a WIAA Division 1 state quarterfinal game. 

  

The Wolverines (15-11) will meet the winner of the final quarterfinal game of the day – Madison La Follette vs. Fort Atkinson – either Tuesday night in Grand Chute or Wednesday in Oshkosh. 

  

"I wasn t as sore coming back after I warmed up," said Forray, who retired Hartford in order in the bottom of the fourth inning following a 2-hour and 1-minute rain delay. "I was a little sore in the beginning. But once I came back it was all good." 

  

Forray scattered four hits and three walks and allowed just one earned run on the mound. He had three hits and drove in three runs with his bat, too. 

  

"Our pitcher, Forray, did a real nice job coming back from the break," Waterford coach Lance Bestland said. "I think he might have been a little bit tired, a little bit hungry and a little bit dehydrated. So the break helped him a bunch. That was wonderful." 

  

Waterford jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Tyler Merlo delivered an RBI-single and Forray followed with a three-run home run. 

  

"That helped ease things up," Forray said of his home run on a first pitch fast ball. "I just drove it: 

 

Hartford pulled within 4-3 in the bottom of the second inning without a base hit when the Orioles loaded the bases on three infield errors. 

  

With two outs, second baseman Joe Sturino then was charged with his second error of the inning when he collided with center fielder Dylan Dessart on Tony Brandner's popup behind second base. 

  

The miscue cleared the bases and got Hartford within striking distance. 

  

But Waterford jumped on Hartford pitcher John Sprtel for four more runs in the third to increase its lead to 8-3. Kyle Reitter drove in a run with a fielder's choice. Justin Kurth, Cody Todryk and Dessart followed with RBI-singles. 

  

"The home run in the first inning dug a hole for us and we know what that s about," said Hartford coach Russ Grundy after the Orioles opened the season 1-11. "But we ve bounced back before. 

  

"What really hurt us was when they scored again, the four runs in the third inning. That got their momentum going again. They took it away from us." 

  

Cody Klink and Nick Butchart had RBI singles in the third to trim Waterford's lead to 8-5. 

 

Waterford threatened to break the game open in the fifth when it loaded the bases with one out. 

 

Hartford reliever Brandon Schumacher, who entered the game in the fourth inning, though, retired Dessart on a foul ball to first baseman Nate Thiery and Tyler Jensen on a fly ball to center fielder Andrew Debroux to end the threat. 

  

Nate Thiery opened the Hartford fifth by reaching base on an infield error and stole second. But one out later, he was thrown out at third base trying to advance on Cody Klink's fly ball to right fielder Kyle Reitter. 

 

Waterford then tacked on two more runs on a balk by Schumacher and Reitter s RBI-single in the sixth inning. 

  

The Wolverines capped the scoring with three runs in the seventh on Jensen s RBI-single, Sturino s run-scoring triple and pinch hitter Alex Dewane s sacrifice fly. 

  

WIAA Deputy Director and state baseball tournament director Wade Labecki announced that the Division 1 semifinals will be played tonight if the first game -- between Bay Port and Waunakee -- is able to start by 9:30 p.m. 

 

Waterford 13, Hartford 5 

 

Waterford     4 0 4 0 0 2 3 – 13 16 5

Hartford        0 3 2 0 0 0 0 –  5   4 2 

  

Pitchers (ip-h-er-bb-so) – Forray (W, 7-4-1-3-4). Sprtel (L, 3-9-8-2-2), Schowalter (3.1-7-5-1-2), Thiery (2/3-0-0-0-0). 

  

Leading hitters – W—Kurth 3x4, Forray 3x5, Sturino 3x4, Dessart 2x5, Jensen 2x5. H – Thiery 2x3. HR: W – Forray. 3B: W – Sturino. 2B: W – Merlo, Todryk.