BELOIT — There will be a new Wisconsin state American Legion baseball champion this summer.
Defending 2023 champion Janesville Post 205 saw its season end Friday night in Beloit against its rival and the tournament host after a 2-0 loss to the Beloit Bandits.
“We’re not a scoring machine, and we hadn’t been all year,” Janesville coach Kerry Michaels said. “But give their guy credit. He threw it in there, and we couldn’t take advantage.”
“Their guy” was Ethan Halon, and he was pretty dominant throughout for Beloit against the Janesville hitters.
He pitched a complete-game shutout and struck out seven. Post 205 managed just four hits and four walks against him. All but one out Halon recorded was made in the infield, and he started a couple of inning-ending double plays.
With Beloit protecting its 2-0 lead, the fourth inning ended just one pitch after Landon Keller’s one-out single for Janesville. Pitcher Christian Hobon hit a weak bouncer off the end of his bat that Halon fielded to start a 1-6-3 double play to end the frame.
Logan Hanson and Charlie Kober at the top of the Janesville batting order got on with consecutive one-out walks in the fifth inning.
The Bandits had a mound visit before Tony Greco came to the plate, and with count even at 2-2, Halon got Greco to hit another one softly in front of the mound. Again it was Halon who fielded it himself to start the two-out defensive play.
“It’s a gut punch,” Michaels said of the double plays. “All year we couldn’t get the big hit, and that’s what sent us home.”
Halon retired Janesville in order in the last two innings to end Post 205’s season and put his team into Friday night’s next game against Milwaukee.
Two Janesville pitchers, Hobon and Blake Bowditch, threw well for the most part against the Bandits. Their two runs came on five singles in a span of eight pitches thrown by Hobon in the top of the third inning.
With one down in that frame, Beloit shortstop Andy Buckley hit a first-pitch single on a line to center. Carston Jacobson had an infield hit on the second pitch he saw. Kober, Janesville’s shortstop, made a sliding pickup on the batted ball but couldn’t get it to second for an out after trying to throw from his backside.
Brooks Mitchell hit his first pitch on a line to left to load the bases, then Brayden Ward bunted his second pitch down the first-base line. Hanson, Janesville’s first baseman, had to field the bunt and tried to flip it to the catcher, but the ball sailed over Brett Appel’s shoulder.
That misplay helped plate the game’s first run, and Noah Pfundheller turned around his second pitch for an RBI base hit into left field. One run scored on that play, and Janesville’s left fielder Tyler Hegle recorded an outfield assist for the second out to prevent a third run from crossing in the inning.
The inning came to an end when Hobon struck out the next Beloit hitter on three pitches, and the Janesville starter threw three more scoreless innings after that.
“He did exactly what we needed him to do, took us late into the game, and we just couldn’t hit for the guy,” Michaels said. “That’s been our bane all year.”
Michaels guided Post 205’s baseball team to the 2023 American Legion state championship last season, the city’s first since 1989. The club finished 9-16-1 this summer.
Bandits unable to extend tournament
With its win over Janesville, Beloit had to play again Friday night against a Milwaukee team that had beaten the Bandits on Thursday.
The Pipemen won again Friday night, beating Beloit 3-1 and finishing off an undefeated run through the regional tournament. Bradley Corcoran struck out eight in pitching all seven innings for Milwaukee, and Luke Mattes went 3 for 4 with an RBI.
FIRST GAME
BELOIT 2, JANESVILLE 0
Beloit 002 000 0 — 2 7 0
Janesville 000 000 0 — 0 4 0
Leading hitters — Jacobson (B) 2x4, Mitchell (B) 2x3.
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-k) — B: Halon W, 7-4-0-0-7-4. J: Hobon L, 6-7-2-2-2-3; Bowditch 1-0-0-0-0-0.
SECOND GAME
MILWAUKEE 3, BELOIT 1
Beloit 000 010 0 — 1 3 0
Milwaukee 101 100 X — 3 8 1
Leading hitters — Mattes (M) 3x4. 2B — Pfundheller (B), Schimmel (M).
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-k) — B: Jacobson L, 6-8-3-2-2-5. M: Corcoran W, 7-3-1-1-2-8.
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