By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
The Lake Geneva Badger baseball team won three in a row last week. The Badgers started the week with a non-conference home win over Milton and finished the week by sweeping a doubleheader from Delavan-Darien.
Milton jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but the Badgers exploded for six runs in the bottom of the frame. Conner Love walked, stole second, and scored on a single by Brant Stahulak. Addison Hochevar walked and Deleskiewicz was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Eli Syverson singled scoring Stahulak and Hochevar. Joe Gottinger walked to re-load the bases. Nathaniel Elgin reached on an error with Deleskiewicz scoring on the play. Syverson scored on a wild pitch and Gottinger scored on a fielder’s choice.
Milton made a game of it in the fourth inning with three runs without the benefit of a hit. Four walks and two Badger errors allowed Milton to get back into the game at 6-4.
The Badgers got one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning on a triple by Deleskiewicz, who then scored on a wild pitch. The Badgers put the game away with three runs in the fifth and a single run in the sixth in the 11-4 win. Elgin led off the fifth with a solo home run. Matthew Smid, Love, and Hochevar all walked. Smid scored on a ground out by Stahulak. Love scored when Syverson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Stahulak brought Chandler Flores home with a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Stahulak and Syverson each had two hits and three RBI. Four Badger pitchers held Milton to one hit and no earned runs as the defense was charged with six errors.
The Badgers (6-11, 3-7 Southern Lakes Conference) swept Delavan-Darien in a doubleheader on May 3.
Game One was close until the fifth inning. Badger took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Syverson walked to lead off the inning. With one out, Elgin singled with Syverson moving to third. Syverson then scored on a single by Christian Schulz.
The pitching duel between Sam Grover for DDHS and Joe Gottinger for Badger continued into the fifth inning as neither offense could get going. Then the Badgers broke out for six runs in the top of the fifth.
Love led off the fifth with a walk. Stahulak reached on one of four Comet errors with Love safe at second. With one out, Syverson was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Deleskiewicz cleared the bases with a double. Elgin walked. A single by Schulz brought Deleskiewicz home. Smid reached on another error that again loaded the bases. Gottinger was hit by a pitch, which forced Elgin home. Schulz scored on a fielder’s choice by Love and the Badgers led 7-0.
The Badgers added four more runs over the next two innings to finish off their 11-0 victory. Badger got two in the sixth with two outs. Deleskiewicz singled and later scored on a single by Elgin. Elgin scored on another Comet error.
Badger got two more in the seventh. Stahulak was hit by a pitch and later scored on a double by Deleskiewicz Seth Kawalec later scored on a bases-loaded walk to Schulz.
Gottinger shut the Comets down on four hits over seven innings. Deleskiewicz led the way for the Badgers with three hits and four RBI. Schulz had two hits and three RBI. Elgin had two hits and an RBI.
Game Two was well played by both teams. Badger won the nightcap 2-0 behind six and two-thirds innings from Addison Hochevar, who held the Comets to four hits with 12 strikeouts. Seth Sybesma pitched well for the Comets (2-12, 0-10 SLC) as well with six strong innings of three-hit ball. Sybesma gave up one earned run. Both pitchers had good velocity and kept opposing hitters off balance with off-speed pitches.
The Badgers scored one unearned run in the bottom of the first without getting a hit. Love led off the inning by reaching on an error, stole second, moved to third on another error, and scored on a wild pitch. Badger did not score again until the sixth. With two outs, Love singled and stole second. He then scored on a single by Stahulak.
Love, Stahulak, and Syverson got the three Badger hits.
See more Badger HS sports in this week’s Times/Report.
