Cambridge baseball defeated by New Glarus in the regional championship

CAMBRIDGE - - Having to face Capitol South rival New Glarus in the regional final, the Cambridge baseball team could not earn their third win of the season over the Glarner Knights, falling 4-1 on Thursday at Cambridge High School.

Senior Carter Lund gave Cambridge an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, hitting an RBI single. Junior Kiefer Parish came around to score from second base, aided by an error by the New Glarus catcher.

That would be the lone run Cambridge got off New Glarus pitcher Leyton Mihlbauer. The key for Mihlbauer was that the New Glarus pitcher left Cambridge runners stranded in scoring position throughout the game.

Mihlbauer left a runner stranded at second base in the first by recording a pop out and a fly out. After giving up a two-out double to senior Brayden Lund in the second, Mihlbauer recorded a fly out to end the inning.

In the fourth, Mihlbauer left a runner at third base with a ground ball. With runners at second and first in the fifth, Mihlbauer got a fielder’s choice to escape that jam.

In the seventh, Cambridge brought the potential tying run to the plate with runners at second and first, but a fly out ended the rally and Cambridge’s season.

While Cambridge struggled to convert chances, New Glarus did not. After Patrick Alt scored on an error in the second, which had tied the game, the Glarner Knights scored three runs in the fifth to take a lead.

Ashlin Mihlbauer hit an RBI single to score Nolan Julseth for the go-ahead run. With the bases loaded with one out, Alt scored Brent Weeden on an RBI single. During the next at-bat, Nathan Henderickson scored Leyton Mihlbauer to give New Glarus a 4-1 lead.

The big inning also chased Lund, who had thrown a no-hitter against New Glarus earlier in the season, from the game. Cambridge sophomore Jett Horton pitched over two innings of scoreless relief.

Cambridge finishes the year with a record of 16-6. The seniors who will graduate from the roster are Marco Damiani, Gavin Winslow, Devin Schuchart, Carter Lund, Brayden Lund, Carter Stenjem and Owen Bernhardt.

New Glarus 4, Cambridge 1

NG 010 030 0 — 4 4 3

CA 100 000 0 — 1 6 3

Pitchers (ip-h-r-er-so-bb) — NG: Mihlbauer (W; 7-6-1-0-2-0); C: Lund (L; 4.1-4-4-3-2-5), Horton (2.2-0-0-0-3-3).

Leading hitters — NG: Hendrickson 1x3, Alt 1x3, Julseth 1x3; C: Stenjem 2x4, C. Lund 1x3, B. Lund 1x3.