The Waterloo Home Talent Baseball League team was looking to set off some upset fireworks on Independence Day. The McKays played host to Sun Prairie, traditionally a power in the Eastern Section, on July 4 and gave the Red Birds a good scare.
The pitching combination Logan Bullock Keegan Lauersdorf kept Sun Prairie off the board through the first six innings. Sun Prairie got the offense started with one run in the top of the seventh and followed with five more in the eighth. The quick collection of runs was too much for Waterloo to overcome as the McKays suffered a 6-0 loss, their fifth straight and seventh of the season.
Bullock handled the first two innings. He buzzed through the top of the first inning with a pair of strikeouts. The second seemed daunting as Sun Prairie led off with back-to-back singles, but he recovered to get a strikeout, pop out, and groundout to escape the jam.
After that, 2024 Waterloo High School graduate Keegan Lauersorf took over. He kept that scoreless streak rolling, thanks to the prolific work of his outfield. In his first inning, the top of the third, right fielder Benny Marshall dove for a full-extension catch that would have surely scored a runner from first base. Center fielder Trevor Firari was similarly acrobatic in a diving catch an inning later. For the entirety of the game, this duo utilized their exceptional speed to catch up to well-hit baseballs.
Waterloo's scoreless run finally came to an end in the top of the seventh inning. The McKays fell victim to some Sun Prairie small ball as the Red Birds drew a walk, bunted the runner to second base, and utilized a wild pitch to put him on third. Ironically, it was Sun Prairie starting pitcher Zach Brzezinski that connected on the RBI grounder through the left infield gap, giving Sun Prairie a 1-0 lead.
While that was some clutch batting from Brzezinski, he shined brightest on Thursday on the pitching mound. He threw a complete game shutout against the McKays, recording 10 strikeouts in the process. He backed up his pedigree as a 2023 Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association (WBCA) honorable mention all-state selection and current member of the Milwaukee School of Engineering baseball program.
The most Waterloo could muster was getting second baseman Cal Hush to third base in the bottom of the second inning and a leadoff double in the bottom of the eighth from third baseman Cam Tschanz.
Both of those players tried their hand at pitching, as well, as Sun Prairie forced Waterloo's hand in the top of the eighth inning. The Red Birds led off with a single and a double, leading the McKays to replace Lauersdorf with Tschanz. After intentionally walking Sun Prairie's cleanup batter to load the bases, the Red Birds would connect on a shallow single into left field to score two runs.
Tschanz would then hit a batter after getting an out on a bunt to load the bases once again. Again, Sun Prairie connected with a clutch hit, this time up the left field foul line to score two more runs. A drawn walk would load the bases once again with two outs, bringing an end to Tschanz's time on the mound.
Hush took over from there. With the bases loaded, he allowed one Sun Prairie runner to advance home on a wild pitch. While he would walk the bases loaded again, he would soon force a groundout to shortstop to bring the inning to a merciful end. Still, Sun Prairie had an insurmountable 6-0 lead.
Hush performed quite nicely in the bottom of the ninth inning. While he did hit the second batter he saw following a groundout, he forced the next batter up into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning prematurely. The Waterloo offense just couldn't get rolling, going three up, three down in the bottom of the ninth to bring the game to a close.
The loss drops Waterloo down to a 1-7 record on the year. The McKays will have a chance for redemption later in the week, though, as they host Poynette on Sunday, July 7. The last time these two met, the Indians of Poynette won 9-0.
The end of the regular season is in sight for Waterloo, as well, with only two games remaining. Both will be on the road, first at league-leading Monona on Sunday, July 14. The McKays will wrap up the regular season by traveling to the one team they've beaten this season, Columbus, on Sunday, July 28.
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Home Talent Baseball League Eastern Section standings
-as of Thursday, July 4
1. Monona, 7-0
2. Sun Prairie, 6-3
3. Columbus, 4-2
4. Cottage Grove, 5-3
5. Montello, 3-4
T6. Rio, 2-4
T6. DeForest, 2-4
8. Poynette, 2-5
9. Waterloo, 1-7
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