The New Glarus baseball team just had Waterloo's number in 2024. The Capitol - South rivals met twice in the regular season, wins of 8-3 and 7-6 for the Glarner Knights. As fate would have it, the two squared off once again in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) state tournament with the season on the line.
Waterloo, the No. 4 seed in Sectional 3 of Division 3, played host at Waterloo Fireman's Park to No. 5 seed New Glarus on Wednesday, May 29. This regional semifinal game was originally scheduled for the day prior but was pushed to Wednesday due to rain.
The Pirates looked primed to steal their first win over the Glarner Knights this season as they entered the seventh inning with a slim 3-2 lead. New Glarus had other ideas. The Glarner Knights rattled off four runs in the top of the seventh inning, reclaiming the lead with authority for an eventual 6-3 win, ending Waterloo's season.
Waterloo got a quality start out of senior pitcher Keegan Lauersdorf. He went five innings strong for the Pirates, allowing just three hits with three strikeouts. While he held New Glarus at bay for the first two innings, the Glarner Knights would push a run across in the top of the third inning to take a 1-0 lead. Things could have been worse, too, as the bases were loaded with no outs as that inaugural run scored. Lauersdorf calmed down and forced a pop out, a strikeout, and a groundout to get out of the jam.
It took Waterloo's offense until the bottom of the fourth inning to find some run support. There, Lauersdorf and junior Bryce Aubart led off with back-to-back singles. Senior Trevor Firari brought Lauersdorf home with a fielder's choice. Aubart was out at second, but Lauersdorf had time to score from third. A balk and a tag up on a fly out to center field pushed Firari to third base. There, freshman Mason Reedy came up clutch with a blooper single into shallow left. Firari raced home to give Waterloo its first lead, 2-1.
New Glarus immediately responded in the top of the fifth inning. The Glarner Knights played some solid small ball, bunting a runner into scoring position before a groundout to shortstop brought him home This knotted the game at two runs each and brought an end to Lauersdorf's day on the mound once he closed the half inning.
Waterloo's offense wasted no time getting its lead back, scoring once again in the bottom of the fifth. Senior Cal Hush singled before Lauersdorf belted a double up the foul line in left, pushing Hush to third base. Aubart launched a sacrifice fly into dead center field, buying plenty of time for Hush to tag up and score to put the Pirates back ahead 3-2.
Aubart took over on the pitching mound in the top of the sixth inning, where he stranded a pair of base runners as he ended the inning without letting in a run. The defense faltered behind him in the top of the seventh, though, as the Pirates committed three errors in the first five at-bats. This string of mistakes pushed two runs across for New Glarus, and an ensuing double scored two more. None of the runs counted against Aubart's earned run average, but New Glarus now had a dominant 6-3 lead heading to the bottom of the seventh inning.
Waterloo did get a baserunner thanks to a walk drawn by senior Jon Sampo, but nothing more. New Glarus closed the game out with a fly out to center field, ending the Pirates' season. The Glarner Knights would go on to win the regional championship, upsetting No. 1 seed Cambridge 4-1 the next day.
The Pirates end the 2024 season with a 15-8 overall record. Wednesday's loss brings an end to the high school playing career of the senior class of 2024, which includes Cal Hush, Jon Sampo, Logan Dolfin, Keegan Lauersdorf, Trevor Firari, and Cam Tschanz.
While graduation hits the team hard heading into next season, the cupboard will be far from bare. Waterloo will lean on the returning experience of Aubart and sophomore Ryder Jaehnke. A promising freshman class, including Reedy, Shea Sellnow, and Jacob Gier, also got their first taste of varsity action this spring.
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