By Dan Truttschel
Sports Correspondent
A quick look at the final results for the East Troy Legion Post 188 baseball team would seem to show a disappointing 2014 season.
But a deeper review indicates just the opposite – and what appears to be a bright future moving forward.
East Troy closed its summer schedule last week with a 1-2 record at a Class A regional tournament at Ripon. Post 188 finished at 9-14 overall.
“It’s easy to look at the record and say we struggled,” East Troy coach John Wick said. “We did make too many errors, that is true, but as for the record, we were essentially a 16- to 17-year-old team playing a 19-year-old schedule. These guys are going to be good soon.”
East Troy opened the regional last Wednesday with a 3-1 loss to defending state champion Waupun, but stayed alive the next day with a 6-1 win over Green Lake. The tournament run ended Friday with a hard-fought 12-9 loss to Omro.
Even in defeat against Omro, there were plenty of positives, Wick said.
“I was very pleased that there was no quit (after we got behind),” he said. “A month ago, we hang our heads (down) 7-0 and get mercy ruled.
“Omro featured three 19-year-olds and four 18-year-olds. Josh (Oswald) is our only 18-(year-old). What a great job by the kids we had for this one.”
East Troy fell behind 7-0 in the second inning, as Omro put together four hits and benefitted from two walks and an East Troy error.
Post 188 chipped away at the deficit with a run in third inning on hits by Evan Wick, Will Iloncaie and Oswald, and then pulled within three runs in the fourth.
Logan Parsons provided the key hit with a double that drove in Joe and Jon Ciriacks, who had singled, followed by a Wick single that drove in Parsons.
The rally continued in the fifth, as Post 188 cut the deficit to just one at 8-7. Consecutive walks to Joe and Jon Ciriacks, Jason Dopke and Richard Hastings, followed by a hit from Parsons, keyed the big inning.
“Logan Parsons was fantastic at the plate and on the mound,” Wick said. “He kept bringing us back.”
After Omro rebuilt its lead back to three runs at 10-7, East Troy put together yet another rally to pull within one run at 10-9.
Joe Ciriacks drove in Iloncaie with fielder’s choice, followed by a single by Jon Ciriacks that scored Oswald.
But that was the end of the rallies for Post 188, as Omro added two insurance runs and held East Troy scoreless the rest of the way.
East Troy stays alive
Oswald came up big in the first elimination game, as he held Green Lake to just a single run, allowed just two hits and struck out 18.
The tone for the day was set early, as Oswald needed just 10 pitches to strike out the side in the top of the first inning.
Oswald fanned the first 11 batters he faced. Green Lake didn’t put a ball in play until it grounded one back to Oswald to end the third inning.
“What an effort by Josh,” Wick said. “He realized early that they couldn’t catch up with his fastball and just kept pounding it for strikes.”
Oswald also need some damage at the plate, as he connected on a towering home run in the first inning to help East Troy to a 3-0 lead it never would relinquish.
Post 188 added to its lead in the third inning on singles by Connor Mitchell, Parsons and Iloncaie and grounders by Oswald and Wick.
“The win gave us an extra game in the tournament,” John Wick said. “That was a goal coming in. We haven’t won a game in the regionals in a few years.”
In the opener against Waupun, which eventually qualified for a return trip to state with a win over Jefferson, East Troy held a 1-0 lead until the fourth inning.
Waupun tied the score in that frame and then put the winning runs across the plate with two outs in the fifth.
“It’s a bit heart-breaking,” Wick said. “We played the state champs evenly. When it comes down to it, Will (Iloncaie) only allowed one earned run to one of the top teams in the state.”
