Janesville’s losing streak grew to seven Tuesday night despite outhitting Milwaukee American Legion Post 426 in a 5-1 loss in Milwaukee.
The Pipemen grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a two-out, bases-loaded double by Luke Mattes. Milwaukee took advantage of one of three Janesville errors on the night before a base hit and a hit-by-pitch with two outs put Pipemen on every base.
Facing that 2-0 deficit, Post 205’s hitters loaded the bases themselves in the fourth inning. Tyler Hegle started the fourth with a line single to left field but he was retired on the bases on a fielder’s choice off Mathias Treinen’s bat.
Charlie Kober got on via Milwaukee’s lone error of the night, then Logan Hanson smashed a ground ball through the left side of the infield for a base hit.
The next Janesville hitter, Brett Appel, also punched a grounder through the infield to plate a run and make it 2-1. The bases remained loaded with just one out for Post 205, but Jake Rechlitz managed to strike out Christian Hobon and Donovan Hatch to escape the jam with just Appel’s RBI on the ledger.
“The lefty they started (Rechlitz) was a quality pitcher,” Michaels said. He could throw any pitch in any count. He wasn’t overpowering, but he had a good mix. We’ll be better for facing a guy like that.”
The three left on base were among eight that Post 205 stranded after beating Milwaukee in the hit column, 9-6. The first six hitters in Janesville’s lineup had at least one hit, and Hobon and Nathan Hach each had two with one of Hach’s going for a double.
After Janesville left potential runs on the bases in the top of the fourth, the Pipemen responded in the bottom half of the inning against Post 205 reliever Sam Hoium.
Hoium got the first two Milwaukee hitters out in the frame before walking Diego Sifuentes on a full count. Hoium caught Sifuentes with a pickoff move during the next plate appearance, but the Milwaukee runner reached second base safely instead of making the inning’s final out.
Three run-scoring hits followed in order, singles by Rex Giegerich and Eli Boeck and a double by Bradley Corcoran, to make it 5-1.
Despite those runs coming across against Hoium, Michaels said the Janesville Parker player had an encouraging outing and showed he could contribute on the mound going forward.
“He has a fastball where he puts a little on and takes a little off,” the coach said. “Hitters can’t expect the same thing every time. He can be effective if he keeps the ball down.”
Janesville had chances to get back into Tuesday’s game but couldn’t manage to. Hach’s double came with two out in the fifth, Treinen and Hanson reached in the sixth with two outs, and Hobon’s leadoff single in the seventh got erased by a 4-6-3 double play off the next hitter’s bat.
“We’re going to have a serious batting practice before tomorrow’s game,” Michaels said. “We have to get these bats to come alive a little bit.”
The teams will meet again at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Veterans Field at Riverside Park in Janesville. After that, Post 205 will participate in an American Legion tournament in Plover, which is where Janesville caught its stride on its way to its state championship run.
“We weren’t playing our greatest the week or two before regionals, but then we got it going pretty good up in Plover, and that was our momentum,” Michaels said. “Hopefully we can get these guys going. The pieces are there” for another postseason run.
MILWAUKEE 5, JANESVILLE 1
Janesville 000 100 0 — 1 9 3
Milwaukee 020 300 X — 5 6 1
Leading hitters — Hobon (J) 2x3, Hach (J) 2x2, Corcoran (M) 2x3. 2B Hach (J), Corcoran (M), Mattes (M).
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-k) — Hatch L, 1 2/3-2-2-0-1-2; Hoium 3 1/3-4-3-3-1-1; Hegle 1-0-0-0-0-0. M: Rechlitz W, 4-6-1-0-0-4; Giegerich 3-3-0-0-1-0.
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