PLOVER EDGES SUPERIOR TO REMAIN UNBEATEN AT CLASS AAA STATE LEGION BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
Zaleski Sports
PLOVER – The Plover Black Sox stand one win away from a national regional berth after defeating the Superior Reds 3-1 in a winners’ bracket game at the 2021 Class AAA Wisconsin American Legion Baseball State Tournament on Wednesday night at Veterans Memorial Park.
The Black Sox (20-8) will play La Crosse (15-5) in a battle of the final two undefeated teams in the double-elimination tournament at 7 p.m. Thursday. The winner will be guaranteed no worse than second place as the top two teams at the state tournament will advance to the Central Plains Regional in Sioux Falls, S.D., which will be held Aug. 4-8. The tournament will include the state champion and runner-up from Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin, the state champion of South Dakota, and host Sioux Falls Post 15.
Manitowoc (14-6) will take on De Pere (15-7) in the opening game Thursday at 1 p.m., with Superior (21-6) and Oshkosh (21-2) to follow at 4 p.m. in a pair of elimination games.
Drew Kedrowicz picked up the win with 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball, striking out seven with just one walk for Plover. Kenny Schultz started and through a shutout first inning before Kedrowicz came and held on to the Black Sox’ lead that they built in the top of the first.
Jon Nafe had an RBI single and Austin Beyer, who had singled early in the inning, scored on an error to give Plover a quick 2-0 lead in the opening inning.
Joe Barker had an RBI double in the fourth for Superior to cut the Black Sox’ lead in half, but that would be it for the Reds.
Marcus Jaworski had a double and scored on another Superior error in the top of the seventh for an important insurance run for the Black Sox.
Superior put two runners on in the bottom of the inning on singles by Riley Rehstrand and Dylan Ronchi before Cyle Zblewski coaxed a groundout to end the game and earn the save for the Black Sox.
Tommy Drohner and Beyer each had two hits for Plover, which has won 13 of its last 15 games and six in a row.
In earlier games on Wednesday, Oshkosh eliminated Stevens Point (13-11) 8-0 and Manitowoc came back from a four-run deficit to score eight runs in the final two innings to oust Racine (18-5) 9-5. La Crosse used a grand slam home run in the sixth inning to beat De Pere 6-2 in the other winners’ bracket contest.
All three games on Thursday will be live at zaleskisports.com.
Black Sox 3, Reds 1
Plover 200 000 1 - 3 9 0
Superior 000 100 0 - 1 5 3
WP: Drew Kedrowicz. LP: Mason Stenberg. SV: Cyle Zblewski.
SO: Kenny Schultz (1 inn.) 1, Kedrowicz (5 2/3 inn.) 7, Zblewski (1/3 inn.) 0; Stenberg (6 2/3 inn.) 6, Jayden Hoffmann (1/3 inn.) 0. BB: Schultz 1, Kedrowicz 1, Zblewski 0; Stenberg 1, Hoffmann 0.
Top hitters: P, Tommy Drohner 2x4, run; Austin Beyer 2x3, run; Jon Nafe 1x3, RBI; Marcus Jaworski 2B, run. S, Gunner Nannsen 2B; Joe Barker 2B, RBI; Stenberg 2B, run.
Records: Plover 20-8; Superior 21-6.
2021 Class AAA Wisconsin American Legion Baseball State Tournament