Wolverines' speed trap is too much for Muskego
Pitchers, late rally conspire to end Warriors season
Muskego — Classic 8 Conference champion Waukesha West was the only thing that stood in the way of Muskego making a second consecutive trip to the WIAA state baseball tournament.
Unfortunately for the host Warriors the final step was the toughest as the Wolverines used a late scoring burst to post an 8-4 victory Sunday in the sectional final. The victory earned them a berth in this week's state finals in Stevens Point and ended Muskego's season.
Muskego senior leftfielder Sam Hammer said the Wolverines had the Warriors scouted well.
"They knew we like hard-throwers," Hammer said. "They could have thrown their ace today but instead sent us two pitchers who threw a lot of off-speed pitches. We were out on our front leg and ended up hitting a lot of lazy fly balls and soft grounders."
After pounding out 17 hits against Whitnall on Saturday, the Warriors' (29-8) bats came up cold for the majority of the game Sunday. They were able to chase the Wolverines' (27-6) senior starting pitcher Kurt Poquette from the game after the fourth inning, but junior Jeff Neuman kept the Warriors scoreless for the rest of the game.
Muskego coach Mike Schramek said the Warriors' hitting woes were a result of bad luck.
"It's just baseball," Schramek said. "Sometimes balls find their way into gloves even when you're getting a good bat on it. Just got to have a little bit of good fortune and it wasn't there today."
Muskego takes early edge
The Warriors held a 4-3 lead going into the top of the seventh thanks to a home run from senior designated hitter Wes Smith and the pitching of starter Adam Schulz.
Then junior Wolverines power hitter Aaron Jushka smacked a solo home run down the left field line and the scoring frenzy began for the Wolverines. They scored four more runs in the inning to effectively put the game out of reach.
"We were just trying to get the game tied and fortunately we got the run at the start of the inning and grabbed the momentum," Waukesha West coach Chad Montez said. "I don't think anyone in our dugout envisioned us scoring five runs and taking a four-run lead."
It was a bitter end to a fantastic season for the Warriors, one that saw them climb to as high as No. 2 in the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association state rankings. Many players lingered on the field and in the dugout after the game, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
"I was almost 100 percent sure we were going to win state this year," senior Mike Robinson said. "Something happened in the last inning that screwed everything up. There's definitely a bitter taste in my mouth right now."
Pitcher paves the way
Muskego advanced to the final with an 8-2 victory over visiting Whitnall on Saturday as junior Cole Borek cruised through seven innings, allowing six hits and striking out three.
"I try to give my team some energy every time they come to bat," Borek said. "Today was like any other day. I gave my team a great chance to win by giving it my best."
The Warriors pounded out 17 hits as senior Mike Robinson went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Schulz went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
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