UNDEFEATED AMHERST BASEBALL ROLLS TO DIVISION 3 SECTIONAL TITLE, STATE TOURNAMENT BERTH
Zaleski Sports
CRIVITZ – For the first time in 30 years, the Amherst baseball team is heading to the state tournament.
The undefeated season continued for the Falcons as they dominated Kewaunee 5-1 and Oconto 10-0 in the WIAA Division 3 sectional on Tuesday. Amherst (28-0) will play a Division 3 semifinal at the 2022 WIAA State Baseball Tournament at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton on Wednesday, June 15. Seedings and pairings will be announced Wednesday.
The state berth is Amherst’s third all-time and first since 1992.
Amherst’s starting pitching was lethal in the two wins as Ben Lee won the opener with nine strikeouts and Wyatt Blaskowski earned the victory in the championship game over Oconto by striking out six. Neither walked a batter in back-to-back complete-game efforts, with Blaskowski allowing just one hit in the five-inning win.
In the semifinal, Amherst struck for four runs in the first inning with only one hit. Two walks and an error led to two runs, and T.J. Brandl drove in a pair with a single to give the Falcons a quick 4-0 lead.
After Kewaunee scored in the fifth, Amherst got it back immediately in the top of the sixth as a sacrifice fly by Noah Spoelstra plated Matt Glodowski.
Lee did the rest with two shutout innings to finish off the victory.
The Falcons opened up things early in the championship game. After a run in the top of the first on doubles by Jake Hoffman and Lee, they exploded for six in the second inning and added three more in the third.
Tyler Soulsby had an RBI single before pitching woes caught up with Oconto. Hoffman walked with the bases loaded, Spoelstra and Soulsby scored on wild pitches, and a balk plated another run.
In the third, Ethan Peskie scored on a wild pitch, Blaskowski delivered a sacrifice fly, and Lee singled home Hoffman with another run to make it 10-0.
Blaskowski finished off the shutout that ended via the 10-run rule after five innings.
Semifinals
Falcons 5, Storm 1
Amherst 400 001 0 - 5 3 0
Kewaunee 000 010 0 - 1 6 2
WP: Ben Lee. LP: Ihlenfeldt.
SO: Lee 9; Ihlenfeldt (6 inn.) 1, Schaller (1 inn.) 1. BB: Lee 0; Ihlenfeldt 4, Schaller 0.
Top hitters: A, T.J. Brandl 2x3, 2 RBI. K, Schaller 3B, run.
Records: Amherst 27-0; Kewaunee 16-8.
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Championship
Falcons 10, Blue Devils 0
Amherst 163 00 - 10 6 1
Oconto 000 00 - 0 1 2
WP: Wyatt Blaskowski. LP: Bostwick.
SO: Blaskowski 6; Bostwick (1 1/3 inn.) 2, No. 20 (name not provided) (1/3 inn.) 1, Fuller (2/3 inn.) 1, Krueger (2 2/3 inn.) 4. BB: Blaskowski 0; Bostwick 3, No. 20 2, Fuller 2, Krueger 0.
Top hitters: A, Jake Hoffman 2B, 3 runs, RBI; Lee 2x2, 2B, 2 RBI; Tyler Soulsby 2 runs.
Records: Amherst 28-0; Oconto 16-8.