Regional action begins next week
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
Throughout the summer, East Troy Legion Post 188 baseball coach John Wick knew brighter days were on the horizon for his team.
They just had to keep working and be patient.
Last weekend, that plan came together quite nicely – in the form of a weekend tournament title in Antigo.
Post 188 finished with a 3-1 record and earned the title based on a tiebreaker, as East Troy defeated its three opponents by more runs than the rest of the field.
East Troy defeated Ahnapee 14-9, Minnetonka 10-3 and Minocqua 14-2. It’s only loss came to Antigo, 10-9.
“What a great weekend,” Wick said. “The boys played hard and together. It was neat to see other teams getting to the park to watch us hit.
“(There isn’t) enough space to give compliments to all that deserve them. … All in all, just an incredible experience.”
An RBI double by Evan Wick and a long, two-run homer by Josh Oswald gave East Troy an early 3-0 lead in the opening game Saturday.
After Ahnapee grabbed a 5-3 lead, Post 188 responded in the fourth inning with three more runs to regain the advantage.
Nick Bertschinger and Ryan Olsen singled to start the rally, followed by a three-run homer by Connor Mitchell.
East Troy iced the win in the sixth with five more runs, including a grand slam homer by Olsen. Oswald started things with his second homer of the game.
“(We did) a great job of not giving up when we made early mistakes,” Wick said. “The guys came together well. Nik (Kimball) pitched exactly how we needed him to for a complete-game win.
“The home run power was incredible. Teams were popping in just to see Josh’s at bats the whole tourney.”
Host Antigo scored the tying and winning runs in its last at bat to hand East Troy its only loss of the weekend.
Down 8-7 in the top of the seventh, East Troy got RBI hits by Oswald and Jason Dopke to take a one-run lead – but it was short lived.
Antigo walked to load the bases, followed by another free pass that knotted the score, followed by a two-out, walkoff single that was the difference.
“I was very pleased with how we battled,” Wick said. “Both teams were very frustrated with the inconsistencies in the strike zone (by the umpire), but for the most part, the boys played through it.
“Antigo was a very good ‘Double A’ team. The kids from both sides were talking all game long. It was a very friendly, well-contested effort.”
In the third game, East Troy faced unbeaten and tournament favorite, Minnetonka, and used a seven-run seventh inning to break things open.
Wick was hit by a pitch to start off the seventh, followed by a Mitchell single and a two-run double by Oswald that highlighted the big inning.
East Troy took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI by Olsen that chased home Bertschinger. Jon Ciriacks, who singled, scored Post 188’s second run on a Minnetonka error in the fourth, followed by a Bertschinger sacrifice fly that scored Dakota Tilton in the fifth.
“It is so fun when everyone contributes like this,” Wick said. “Josh (Oswald) had the tournament of the summer, both hitting and pitching. It was fun to slay the beast (and beat Minnetonka).”
Needing a run-rule win for a shot at the tournament title in the finale against Minocqua, Post 188 did just that with the 14-2 win.
East Troy scored seven runs in the fifth to end the game. Walks to Kimball and Jacob Mast were followed by consecutive hits from Connor Mitchell, Dopke, Logan Mitchell and Oswald.
Post 188 was back in action Monday against Beloit and Wednesday at Whitewater, before it closes out its regular season July 17, at Beloit. East Troy competes in the regional tournament July 22-25.
East Troy 1-2 to open week
Before its weekend road trip, East Troy posted a 1-2 mark with losses to Union Grove and at Watertown and a win over Lake Geneva.
Post 188 managed just two hits in the 7-1 loss to Union Grove last Tuesday. Oswald scored the game’s only run in the second after a Union Grove error.
All seven Union Grove runs were unearned.
“All in all, this was just an ugly effort,” Wicks said.
The Legion’s 16U squad traveled to Watertown, where one of the always-tough programs handed East Troy a 22-3 loss.
Seven East Troy errors in the first two innings led to an 11-run deficit.
“Our young guys were shell shocked,” Wick said. “It was a very nervous beginning for them.”
Andrew Gross scored East Troy’s first run on a fielder’s choice, followed by a wild pitch that plated Matt Kisting. East Troy’s last run came in the fourth when Dan O’Brien scored on a hit by Brenden Sullivan.
Against Lake Geneva last Thursday, Will Iloncaie kept the visitors hitless through four innings, as East Troy built a 7-0 lead.
Iloncaie belted a two-run homer in the first, followed by a Bertschinger sacrifice fly and a Wick single that built East Troy’s lead to 4-0. Post 188 added three more runs on a bases-clearing double by Oswald in the fourth.
“This was a great game for the boys,” Wick said. “Will was masterful on the mound, and everyone is starting to get comfortable at the plate.”
