After losing a game in which both teams’ defenses came up with spectacular plays — and their pitchers struggled to find the strike zone and, at critical times, their catchers’ mitts — Janesville faces an elimination game Thursday in an American Legion regional baseball tournament.
Post 205 lost 5-1 to Milwaukee in nine innings Wednesday night at the Stateline YMCA Youth Sports Complex in Beloit.
The local squad collected just three hits on the night but led 1-0 after scoring a run on a wild pitch in the fourth inning to break a scoreless tie.
Janesville’s Mathias Treinen worked a one-out walk, stole second, then advanced to third on a groundout before Milwaukee pitcher Belott uncorked the wild pitch that plated him.
Both teams surrendered nine walks and Janesville pitchers hit a pair of Milwaukee batters for a combined 20 free passes to first base on the night.
Despite that, Janesville starter Tyler Hegle navigated his way through five scoreless innings before giving up a leadoff single in the sixth.
“It seemed like they had the bases loaded every time I turned around,” Janesville coach Kerry Michaels said. “But we wiggled off the hook. Tyler is as tough as they come, and he just kept grinding.”
Michaels turned to Nick Gregg out of the bullpen after the leadoff base hit in the sixth, but another single and a bunt that was fielded but not converted into an out loaded the bases with no outs.
Gregg walked Eli Boeck to give the Pipemen the tying run, but he struck out the next hitter and induced ground balls from the next two to preserve the tie.
After a scoreless seventh, the teams went to extra innings.
In the bottom of the eighth, Janesville’s Tony Greco took a walk with one out and advanced to second on a ground ball out. Treinen dug in next and smashed a ground ball past the pitcher that Michaels said looked destined for the outfield grass to drive in the game-winning run.
But Milwaukee second baseman Rex Giegerich made a sliding pickup, and threw a dart to third base behind Treinen, who by that time was between third base and home. The next throw went to the catcher, and he tagged Treinen out to end the inning.
“That play really saved the game for them,” Michaels said.
A series of free passes — two walks and a hit batsman — with one out in the top of the ninth loaded the bases for the Pipemen.
A wild pitch brought one run home to break the tie, and Janesville opted to put the batter on intentionally after first base opened up to keep the possibility of a forceout at any base alive.
But Jacob Belott hit a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1 Milwaukee, and Boeck, who drove in the Pipemen’s first run of the game, followed with a back-breaking two-run triple into right field. He finished with two hits and the three RBI.
Janesville, as it had been in the sixth and seventh innings, was retired in order in the bottom of the ninth to make the loss final. Brayden Schimmel pitched the final 4 2/3 innings for the Pipemen and struck out eight batters from Post 205 to get the win.
The locals will play a win-or-go-home game against Mukwonago at 5 p.m. Thursday in Beloit. The teams have not played each other yet this summer. Tournament host Beloit will play Milwaukee. Both of those teams have yet to lose in the tournament.
“We’ll go and try to get back on track,” Michaels said. “We should be set up pretty good for pitching if we win that game.”
MILWAUKEE 5, JANESVILLE 1 (9)
Milwaukee 000 001 004 — 5 6 0
Janesville 000 100 000 — 1 3 1
Leading hitters — Boeck (M) 2x4. 2B — Schimmel (M), Belott (M). 3B — Boeck (M).
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-k) — M: Corcoran 2-1-0-0-3-4; Belott 2 1/3-0-1-1-3-1; Schimmel W, 4 2/3-2-0-0-3-8. J: Hegle 5-3-1-1-3-4, faced one batter in the sixth; Gregg 1-1-0-0-2-1; Horkan L, 3-2-4-4-4-2.
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