The Washburn Sharptails clinched their second straight Upper 13 Baseball League title in gripping fashion when slugger John Sopiwnik bombed a walk off home run to give the ‘Sharps a 3-2 win in 10 innings over the Tri-County Timberjaxx on Aug. 4 at Ashland’s Pufall Field. Unlike in 2023 when Washburn won the title outright, this season the Sharptails share the title with the Glidden Orioles and Lake Superior Sea Dogs. There is no disappointment in sitting atop the league with the Orioles and Sea Dogs, according to ‘Sharps manager Bo Bratley, who cited depth as a key strength for the team.
“Part of our success has been our depth and teammates understanding their roles,” he said. “It’s no secret that everyone wants to play, but teams who have quality hitters ready to jump in for an at bat in a pinch hit spot is what makes good teams great. (Sharptails reserve) Michael Haas is more than good enough to start. With his unique ability to hit the ball from both sides of the box, his role has instead been coming in as a pinch hitter and driving in runs. In four pinch hit appearances, he has hit 3-4 with two triples, three RBIs, and two runs scored.”
Bratley cited Reese Fleig, who has been the starting pitcher for most of the Sharptails games — which are played once a week, every Sunday, and thus do not tax the UW-Superior star’s arm unnecessarily — plus heavy hitters Shane Buckley and John Sopiwnik as key players in this season’s success. With playoffs looming Washburn can hardly consider their work done, Bratley emphasized, as the team aims to make a return to the WBA state tournament after missing them in 2023. It won’t be a snap, the skipper suggested.
“Our competition for the playoffs will not be easy,” he said. “It’s a fair assessment that we have not been as dominant this season as we have been in the past. We have never seen the Haugen Knights (the pool’s top seed and host team) before, but we do have a player who has played against them — Bob Tyndall. We hope that his experience can lead us in that game.”
Washburn enters as the No. 2 seed in their pool, and the third seed overall in the regional tournament. Final results and playoff schedules follow for all Bay Area U13 Baseball League teams.
Upper 13 Baseball League
Results from final games
Washburn 3, Tri-County 2 (10 innings)
Glidden 8, Tony 6
Iron City 7, Grand View 3
Lake Superior 9, Ashland 0
Final Standings
Washburn Sharptails 8-2
Lake Superior Sea Dogs 8-2
Glidden Orioles 8-2
(Gurnee) Tri-County Timberjaxx 5-5
(Mellen) Iron City Miners 5-5
Grand View Tigers 2-8
Tony Hayshakers 2-8
Ashland Merchants 2-8
WBA Playoffs
Aug. 9 — (Mellen) Iron City vs. Whittlesey @ Park Falls, 8 p.m.
Aug. 10 — Grand View vs. Pittsville @ Augusta, 1 p.m.
Aug. 10 — Glidden vs. (tba) @ Glidden, 4 p.m.
Aug. 11 — Glidden vs (tba) @ Glidden, 2 p.m.
Aug. 10 — Ashland vs. Plum City @ Rib Lake, 12 p.m.
Aug. 10 — Washburn vs. (tba) @ Haugen, 3 p.m.
Aug. 11 — Washburn vs (tba) @ Haugen, 12 p.m.
Local News
Comments / 0