Young Legion team struggles in mismatched competition
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
With a young squad this summer, the East Troy 16U Post 188 Legion baseball team is going to have its ups and downs.
That’s all part of the learning curve – and last week, that scenario certainly played itself out.
In what coach John Wick termed his team’s best effort of the season, East Troy opened play last Wednesday with a dominating 15-1 win over Waterford, followed by some definite growing pains over the weekend in Antigo.
East Troy, which is playing against several 17U teams and some 19U squads, is 5-11 overall, but 5-2 against 16U teams.
There was plenty of offense in the win over Waterford, which had defeated East Troy earlier this season.
The juniors put five runs on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning, thanks in part to five Waterford walks and key two-run hits by Joey Krantz and Roman Evans.
After adding three more runs in the second on hits by Krantz and Dan O’Brien, East Troy broke things wide open in the fourth.
Nate Fox led off with a triple and scored on a double by Brendan Sullivan, who then scored on a single by John Marschke.
After walks to Krantz and O’Brien, Evans doubled down the line to drive in Krantz. East Troy’s final two runs of the frame scored on Waterford wild pitches.
While the offense was scoring in bunches, Sullivan was strong on the hill, as he picked up the complete-game win.
“‘Sully’ dominated tonight,” Wick said. “He has been working on his mechanics and keeps getting more consistent. Scattering four hits and striking out eight always makes the team look good.”
Tough weekend
East Troy, which is primarily made up of 15-year-olds, stepped up in competition over the weekend in Antigo, Wick said.
After a hard-fought 6-4 loss to Necedah in the opener, but dropped lopsided decisions to three 17U teams, Stevens Point, Oshkosh North and Oconomowoc.
“Antigo was definitely an eye-opener,” Wick said. “We were the youngest team there, but the boys saw that they have work to do if they want to compete at the next level of high school.
“We were definitely hurt by having only one of our older players make the trip. Losing four guys we counted on this summer meant young guys had to grow up quickly.”
Against Necedah, the juniors held a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third inning on single by Andrew Gross, a walk to Brandon Bakken and consecutive singles by John Marschke, O’Brien and Quinton Erdmann.
Necedah, which capitalized on three East Troy errors to score four of its six runs, took a 6-3 lead into the last inning when the juniors tried to mount a comeback.
East Troy loaded the bases on singles by Jake Smith, Gross and Dylan Jakscht and scored its last run on Marschke’s second hit of the game. But the rally ended when a line drive up the middle by Austin Daly was knocked down by the Necedah pitcher.
Among the highlights from the four-game trip, Wick said, was the play of Gross.
“Gross had a solid weekend,” Wick said. “He is really shaping into a nice ballplayer.”
