Westosha Central falls to De Pere in WIAA D1 state baseball semifinal

GRAND CHUTE – Westosha Central fell 8-1 to De Pere on Wednesday, ending the Falcons' WIAA state baseball tournament appearance in the Division 1 semifinals.

De Pere jumped on the Falcons quickly with a two-RBI triple to right from Easton Arendt in the bottom of the first. The Redbirds had gotten the first two aboard for Arendt with an infield single by Axel Donaldson and a sacrifice bunt attempt by Mason Sequin, who reached base on an error. Westosha Central starter Joe Suokko worked out of the inning, however, with a strikeout to strand Arendt at third.

"We didn't play particularly great defensively," Westosha head coach Jacob Morman said. "We opened up some opportunities for them early in the game, and they capitalized."

Westosha struck back in the top of the second on a two-out RBI base hit up the middle from Charlie Dietz to pull within 2-1. It would be the only run of the game for a Westosha Central offense that was frustrated by De Pere pitching and defense for much of the game.

Donaldson held the Falcons in check for 6⅔ innings on the mound before hitting his pitch max, allowing just three hits, one walk and the one earned run while striking out six. The Redbirds defense behind Donaldson was also stellar, especially from centerfielder Arendt, according to Mormon.

"Just a tremendous player," Morman said of Arendt. "We hit a couple balls out to him that, all season long those are in the gap for doubles and triples, and he made plays. They just made more plays today."

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De Pere expanded its lead in the fourth with another triple to right setting the table, as Lucas Koskey sliced one down the right-field line. Two batters later as the lineup flipped over, Donaldson dumped a single over the pulled in infield to right center to increase the lead to 3-1. Later in the inning with two outs, Landon Raygo singled to score Brett Weckwerth from second.

The Redbirds added insurance in the bottom of the sixth, starting with a one-out RBI single to left by Sequin. De Pere then loaded the bases on a double by Arendt and an intentional walk of Raygo. Javin Gauthier then laid down a bunt that caused chaos for the Falcons defense, as both the runners from second and third scored on a play that resulted in no outs. Milo Upton capped the rally with an RBI single, giving De Pere an 8-1 lead heading into the seventh. Westosha Central went down in order in the seventh, ending a historic run.

The Falcons were making the seventh WIAA state baseball appearance in program history, including their second in three seasons. Westosha Central won the Southern Lakes Conference as part of a school record win total in a 25-6 season, earning their first conference title since 2002.

"I want these seniors to be able to understand what they were able to accomplish, and when they take a step back and reflect over the next couple weeks what we were able to do this week, and this season, that's what I want them to remember," Morman said.

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While the Falcons are poised to return a robust class for 2025, Morman reflected on a departing seven-man senior class led by starting catcher Mason Mitacek that made a significant impact on the program.

"That's a kid you're not... no one's gonna replace Mason, what he does for us," Morman said. "Calls the full game, he's a captain, he's been with us for four years as a varsity starter. I mean, that's somebody that's... he's not replaceable."

For those coming back, including most of the core of the 2024 lineup, Morman was hopeful that a deeper run than a quarterfinal loss in 2022 was another building block for the future.

"We have been saying for a while our goal is to build a program that's championship-level in the classroom, off the field, on the field," Morman said. "These guys have embraced that, (and) I have a really good coaching staff that understands and works extremely hard to get us there."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Westosha Central falls to De Pere in WIAA D1 state baseball semifinal