MARINETTE — After his team suffered a 10-run loss to De Pere on Wednesday, Marinette Legion baseball coach Brian Lesandrini believed that Post 39 was a solid pitching performance away from returning to its winning ways.
Lesandrini’s hurlers delivered in spades for the final home game of the season on Saturday, as Post 39’s pitching staff held Kaukauna to just four hits in a 9-5 triumph over the Angels at Dale Minzlaff Field in Marinette.
Jackson Schramm carried a no-hit bid into the fourth inning and finished his afternoon with just two hits allowed before turning the ball over to Braeden Huston, who tossed two innings of two-hit ball to get Marinette into the seventh.
Maverick Willamson covered the final frame and walked Cole Bowers to start the inning. Bowers was able to advance all the way to third base on a wild pitch but Williamson buckled down and induced back-to-back flyouts before getting Isaac Maas to ground out to preserve the win for Marinette.
“The main thing is to just throw strikes and good things happen, and if a guy is able to put the ball in play, then just make the plays (defensively),” Lesandrini said. “It shouldn’t be that difficult of a game but sometimes we make it harder than we need to.”
One swing of the bat set the tone offensively for Post 39, as Logan Kurth blasted a grand slam over the fence in left-center field to put Marinette on top 4-0 in the bottom of the first.
“He set the tone right away,” Lesandrini said of Kurth. “He’s been really trying at the plate these past few games but was just missing some pitches, so I was glad to see him get one there.”
Justin Kruse and Kolton Goldsmith both drove in a pair of runs as Marinette’s lead swelled to 9-0 in the bottom of the third, but the Angels were able to claw their way back into game after a bases-loaded walk allowed Kaden Kress to score, while a three-run double courtesy of Christopher DeGroot cut Kaukauna’s deficit down to five.
Post 31 (7-10 overall) scratched another run across in their half of the sixth after an RBI-single off Kyle Ebben’s bat allowed Aiden Reardon to score and pull the Angels within four.
Marinette (6-13 overall) was able to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth but could not cash in after JJ Brand flew out to second base before Logan Marvin went down on strikes to get Kaukauna out of trouble.
Post 39 out-hit the Angels by a 9-4 margin but also left six runners stranded on base compared to four for Kaukauna. Marinette also committed four errors in the field against two for Post 31.
Weston Hanson went 4-4 at the dish with a double and one run scored. Kurth, Kruse and Brand all went 2-3.
“The last week, half and a half, we’ve been seeing the ball much better at the plate. Our guys have gotten into their routines and are swinging the bats well, which is a good thing,” Lesandrini said. “We’ll be in every game if we can hit like we did today.”
Due up
Marinette: Post 39 is at Bay Port for the American Legion AAA Regional tournament beginning Tuesday.
Marinette faces host Bay Port at 7:30 p.m. Pending the outcome of Tuesday’s game, Post 39 will play at either 5 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Marinette 9 — Kaukauna 5
Marinette 405 000 x — 9
Kaukauna 000 401 0 — 5
WP: Schramm 4IP, 2H, 4R, 3ER, 2BB, HBP, K
LP: Kyle Kress 2 1/3IP, 7H, 9R, 8ER, 2BB, HBP, K, GS
Leading hitters (Marinette): Kurth 2x3, 2R, 2B, 4RBI, GS; Hanson 4x4, R, 2B, SB; Goldsmith 1x3, 2B, 2RBI; Kruse 2x3, R, 2RBI
Leading hitters (Kaukauna): Ebben 1x3, RBI; Reardon 1x2, R, BB, RBI; DeGroot 1x3, R, 2B, 3RBI
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