The South grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third but needed a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth—games are seven innings--to pull out a 4-3 victory against the North in the opening contest of the 25th annual Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Classic.
In Friday’s nightcap, the West scored the deciding run in the bottom of the fifth for a 3-2 triumph over the East in action at Oshkosh North’s E.J. Schneider Field.
Sam Topping of Madison East brought home the winning tally in the opener.
Janesville Craig’s Ben Yaucher plated the South’s first run in the third with a double to left-center that scored Janesville Parker’s Matt Beyer. South starting pitcher Kyle Schmidt of Madison La Follette then singled to drive in Yaucher for 2-0 lead against the host team’s Max Mittelstaedt.
The North knotted things at 2 in the seventh to force extra innings. Justin Jirschele of Clintonville produced the first run on a fielder’s choice grounder and another came around on a single from Southern Door’s Michael Blizel.
The North’s rally was made possible by Clintonville’s Luke Westphal, who stifled the South with six strikeouts during five scoreless frames.
That set up the wild ninth. First, the North grabbed a 3-2 cushion as Jirschele was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on two wild pitches. He scored on a sacrifice fly from Mitch Treiber of Seymour.
However, the South broke through for the win on Topping’s hit against Kyle Zimmermann of Kettle Moraine Lutheran. That made a winner of Janesville Craig’s Trevor Foss, who worked the ninth for the South.
Chris Laux of Green Bay Preble went 2 for 2 with a double for the North, while Schmidt and Ryan Paul of Watertown Luther Prep equaled the feat for the South.
Meanwhile, the East scored single tallies in its first two at-bats before the West tied things up in its half of the second. It remained that way until the West pushed across the decided run in the fifth.
Zach Rickaway of La Crosse Aquinas got the victory in relief of Stevens Point’s Cody Koback, while Eric Van Beck of Arrowhead was tagged with the loss.
Cole Johnston of New Richmond and Ben Sebesta of Eau Claire Memorial for the West and Matt Meisenheimer of West Bend West for the East all finished 2 for 2.