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

By DENNIS SEMRAU 

Wissports.net 

  

GRAND CHUTE – Bay Port right-hander A.J. Gaura tossed a complete game five-hitter and delivered the game-winning single as Bay Port edged Merrill 2-1 in a WIAA Division 1 state quarterfinal baseball game Tuesday morning at Fox Cities Stadium. 

 

Bay Port, the defending Division 1 state champion, advanced to meet the winner of the second quarterfinal game between Kimberly and Waunakee. 

  

Gaura helped his own cause when he lined a single to left to score Joey Calawerts to give Bay Port a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. 

  

"We always count on him for his pitching," Bay Port coach Mike Simoens said of Gaura. "But his hitting has picked up the last few weeks of the season. I had confidence in him going up there but that was a pleasant surprise." 

  

Merrill left-hander Zach Wendorf held Bay Port hitless until the sixth inning when the Pirates delivered their only two hits of the game. Wendorf walked three and struck out five. 

  

"There was a little frustration but a lot of our guys have been there. We ve had tough games like this." Gaura said. "Everybody had great at bats. We knew that sooner or later one of those balls was going to find a hole." 

  

Playing 16 baseball state tournament games in three days is an annual challenge each spring for the WIAA. 

  

It doesn t help when the weather doesn t cooperate. Merrill and Bay Port were cruising along in the fifth inning when Mother Nature intervened. 

  

With the score tied at 1-1 after 4 ½ innings, the game was suspended as heavy rains and lightning forced the grounds crew to roll out the tarp. 

  

Before the rain arrived, though, Merrill and Bay Port were in the midst of a pitcher's duel between Wendorf and Gaura. 

  

Cody Boyd led off the Merrill third with a double to right-center field. He moved to third on a Jared Rothmeyer sacrifice. But Gaura struck out Alex Cordova and Pascal Paul to end the threat. 

  

Merrill (22-5), though, grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning when Jake Schlueter singled to center with two outs, stole second and scored on Michael Detert s single to right field. 

  

But Bay Port (23-7) tied it up 1-1 in its half of the fourth inning on a pair of Merrill errors. Zac Peterson reached on a fielding error by shortstop Pascal Paul and was sacrificed to second.

 

After Dom Utrie reached on a walk, reached base on a fielder's choice and moved to second on a throwing error by Paul that scored Peterson. 

  

Gaura struck out the side in the top of the fifth inning. Then the skies opened up and forced a delay of 2 hours and 4 minutes. 

  

Gaura said he didn t have his stuff after the lengthy break. But he held on. 

  

"Early on his velocity was good. But certainly after a two-hour break, it wasn t quite there so we talked about locating the ball a bit," Simoens said. "He was working his curve ball and he s got a pretty good one." 

  

Calawerts led off the Bay Port sixth with a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice and to third on Dom Putala's single to center field, the Pirates' first hit of the game. Gaura then lined a single to left to score Calawerts for the eventual game-winner. 

  

"My velocity was there but I was able to spot my curve ball," said Gaura, who finished with 11 strikeouts and one hit batter. "You don t have to have velocity if you can spot. You can get outs." 

  

Merrill rallied in the seventh when Gaura allowed a lead-off single to Schlueter. But catcher Josh Sommer cut Schlueter down at second attempting to steal. 

  

Detert then was hit by a pitch and stole second but Gaura struck out Luke Golisch and retired Boyd on a ground ball to second base to send Bay Port to the semifinals 

  

"That was a great high school baseball game," Merrill coach Brian Artac said. "That may be the best game of the tournament. What a way to start it off. We just didn t produce." 

  

 

Bay Port 2, Merrill 1 

  

Merrill        0 0 0 1 0 0 0 – 1 5 2

Bay Port    0 0 0 1 0 1 x – 2 2 0 

  

Pitchers (ip-h-er-bb-so) – Wendorf (L, 6-2-1-3-6). Gaura (W, 7-5-1-0-11) 

  

Leading hitters – M— Detert 2x2, Schlueter 2x3. 2B: M – Boyd.