Getting a season sweep against a conference opponent is never easy. Doing it against that team's ace pitcher is even tougher. Regardless, Waterloo baseball pulled off that feat over Wisconsin Heights, a team that had swept the Pirates the season prior.
The Vanguards and Pirates opened 2024 Capitol - South conference play against one another way back on Saturday, April 6, a 10-6 road victory for Waterloo. Rain pushed the rematch all the way to Wednesday, May 8 at Waterloo Fireman's Park.
Once again, the Pirates faced Wisconsin Heights' ace, junior Reed Adler. Once again, the Pirates emerged victorious, 4-1. Waterloo's continued development and confidence throughout the season allowed the Pirates to overcome an immediate 1-0 deficit for the win.
"This group is really coming along," Waterloo head coach Keith Setz said. "We've built resiliency from last season. We know how it feels to be low, but more importantly we know how to fight back from it. When things aren't going well, we still find a way to win. These guys put in a lot of work in the offseason and have a commitment to make things go the right way."
"We come in every day with a focus on working together," Waterloo senior catcher Jon Sampo said. "There's such a strong bond. Everybody really builds each other up. We're really clicking at the right time. This is a special group and it feels great that from the seniors down to the younger guys there is a lot of buy-in."
Waterloo, currently ranked No. 19 in Division 3 of the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association (WBCA) coaches poll, took an immediate punch in the mouth in the top of the first inning. The real kicker was a slow dribbler up the third base line that teased going foul. The Pirates watched as it stayed fair. The play put a runner on third base and, following an error at second base, allowed Wisconsin Heights to start off with an immediate 1-0 lead.
That was all the Vanguards would manage against Waterloo senior starting pitcher Keegan Lauersdorf. He went five innings strong for the Pirates, with that one run not counting against his ERA. He struck out four batters and allowed just five hits in his time on the mound.
His control over the game allowed his offense time. While the Pirates went scoreless in the bottom of the first inning, they knotted things up in the bottom of the second. Lauersdorf himself set up the opportunity by leading off with a full-count drawn walk. He stole second just before junior designated hitter Caleb Bullock punched a shallow single to left field. The Vanguards dilly-dallied on the throw in, allowing Lauersdorf to round third and slide home safely to tie the game at one run each.
Then, silence. Wisconsin Heights' offense couldn't click against Lauersdorf, and the Pirates struggled to push another run across for the next two innings. So, Sampo took it upon himself to get Waterloo its first lead in the bottom of the fifth inning.
He started with a well-hit grounder up the third base line. It would have been a single for most, but Sampo stretched it into an aggressive double. His daring acts continued in the ensuing at-bat. Wisconsin Heights wasn't paying attention on the throw back to the pitcher as Sampo broke for third and arrived without even a throw over. Senior Cam Tschanz then did his job, poking a groundout to first base to buy Sampo time to come home and give the Pirates a 2-1 lead.
To follow, Waterloo brought in the big guns on the pitching mound in junior Bryce Aubart. He struck out two of the first three batters he saw in a three up, three down top of the sixth inning. Invigorated by his dominance, the offense bought Aubart some extra run support in the bottom half.
Much like Lauersdorf, Aubart too started off the scoring with a single up the gut. Freshman Gavin Schroud took his place on the base path as a courtesy runner. Bullock followed by drawing a walk, and a wild pitch moved both batters into scoring position. Sophomore Ryder Jaehnke brought Schroud home with a groundout to third base. Bullock came home after tagging up on a foul pop up to get the Pirates a 4-1 lead.
Wisconsin Heights would not go quietly in the top of the seventh inning. The Vanguards strung together a trio of blooper singles to load the bases with only one out on the board. After a mound visit, Aubart locked in for a strikeout and a groundout to preserve the victory.
The win is Waterloo's 14th this spring, one shy of tripling last season's win total. The Pirates are also firmly in the Capitol - South conference championship race at 6-2, trailing only 7-1 Cambridge.
"I think we're rolling right now," coach Setz said. "The conference is still up for grabs and we expect to compete for it. In the beginning of the season, we weren't expected to be very good in the conference. Here we are contending for it. We just need to take care of business and see where the chips fall."
Only two conference games remain for the Pirates. They'll travel to New Glarus on Tuesday, May 14 and host the Glarner Knights on Thursday, May 16. Prior to that, though, Waterloo will take on a neutral site challenge against Kenosha St. Joseph at Carthage College on Friday, May 10.
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Capitol - South conference baseball standings
(overall records in parenthesis)
-as of Wednesday, May 8
1. Cambridge, 7-1 (9-4)
2. Waterloo, 6-2 (14-3)
T3. Marshall, 5-3 (7-6)
T3. New Glarus, 5-3 (9-3)
5. Belleville, 1-7 (5-11)
6. Wisconsin Heights, 0-8 (2-14)
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