PAGE 22 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - JUNE 3, 2009
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Cook throws no-hitter in Vikings regional win Siren/Webster season ends
Frederic 4, Birchwood 0 by Brenda Sommerfeld FREDERIC – Viking pitcher Ethan Cook pitched a no-hitter against the Birchwood Bobcats on Friday, May 29. Cook threw all seven innings against the Bobcats, taking the 4-0 win. Cook totaled 10 strikeouts and walked only two batters during the game. At the plate, the Vikings scored four runs on 10 hits. “As a team, we played well, I thought,” coach Troy Schmidt said. “We hit the ball well. We had some stupid baserunning that cost us some runs.” Three runners were thrown out at home plate, one in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, two of which ended the inning as the third out. “We were aggressive on the base path, so it’s going to happen,” Schmidt commented. “We had a lot of steals to go along with those three guys getting thrown out.” Leadoff batter Trae Gehl scored in the first inning after being walked to first. Brady McWilliam hit a sacrifice bunt to help move Gehl. Frederic’s first two batters in the third inning, Joey Draxler and David Harlander, each scored a run. Draxler hit a double, followed by a double by Andrew Kurkowski to score Draxler. Matt Norston hit a single to bring Harlander home. The Vikings finished the inning with two strikeouts and a fly ball. The Vikings fourth run was scored in the fifth inning. Norston brought Kurkowski home on a single-base hit. Norston finished the game 3 for 3 with two RBIs. “We got a big night out of him,” Schmidt said. Draxler went 2 for 4 and Kurkowski ended 2 for 3.
Frederic’s Matt Norston slides home but was called out on the play against Birchwood last Friday. – Photos by Brenda Sommerfeld Spooner 15, Siren/Webster 5 – Spooner ended SPOONER Siren/Webster’s season with a 15-5 victory in five innings during the first round of regionals on Friday, May 29. “They’re a better team than us and we just had too many errors in the fourth and fifth innings, and all of a sudden our season’s over,” coach Jon Ruud said. Siren/Webster had the game tied 5-5 after the first three innings. “We had seven hits through the first three innings, and then they brought in their No. 1 pitcher, and he shut us down,” Ruud explained. In the fourth and fifth innings, Siren/Webster made some fielding errors giving Spooner the 10 runs they needed to end the game. “We kind of looked like we have in the past, where as the first three innings we kind of looked like the team we were near the end of the season,” Ruud said. Ruud said his team was one of two teams when they played, “One that
would throw the ball all over the place and get 10-runned and the other one made about four or five appearances and that team could play a little bit.” Though Ruud will be sad to see this year’s seniors go, he looks forward to having the seven underclassmen that played a lot this season back next season with a little more experience. Grantsburg 12, Shell Lake 3 SHELL LAKE – Receiving a bye for the first round of the regional tournament, Grantsburg decided to travel to Shell Lake to play on Thursday, May 29. After a rain delay, the Pirates defeated Shell Lake, 12-3, on Thursday. “I’m not happy with a few baserunning mistakes we made,” coach Pete Johnson said. “That can’t happen anymore.” Grantsburg had a good night at the plate. Trent Bonneville hit another home run along with a double to keep up his hitting streak. He went 3 for 4 at the plate with three RBIs and four runs.
Siren/Webster’s Evan Oachs warms up his throwing arm as a teammate looks on. – File photo by Brenda Sommerfeld Austin Eskola also went 3 for 4 with three RBIs. “Austin was swinging a big stick and pounding the ball,” Johnson commented. Jimmy Nelson and Nolan Hanson each took their turn at the mound for the Pirates. Nelson had four strikeouts walking zero batters. Hanson pitched two innings giving up two hits. “We got Jimmy and Nolan some tuneup time on the mound,” Johnson said.
Season ends abruptly for St. Croix Falls Amery pitcher throws one-hitter Amery 1, St. Croix Falls 0 by Marty Seeger ST. CROIX FALLS – There aren’t too many baseball games that go seven innings and end in just over an hour, but that’s exactly what happened between Amery and St. Croix Falls last Friday. The Saints took a season-ending loss to
Nick Johnson was picked off at first on a nice move by the Amery pitcher in the bottom of the sixth inning. Johnson got to first after getting hit by a pitch. – Photos by Marty Seeger
Senior Sam Schmidt, played his last baseball game as a Saint. Schmidt had the team’s only hit of the game in the team’s loss to Amery last Friday.
the Warriors in the first game of the WIAA playoffs in a pitcher’s dual that came down to just one swing of the bat. Amery catcher Steven Bielmeier smacked a leadoff solo home run over the center-field fence in the top of the fourth inning, which proved to be the difference-maker in the game. Pitcher Kurt Gehrman was the other differencemaker in the game for Amery, as he al-
lowed just one Saint hit, struck out nine and walked none. “We kept trying to make something happen but our batters were off balance the entire game,” said Saints coach Paul Randolph. “He (Gehrman) pitched a brilliant game and we took too many strikes.” St. Croix Falls either grounded out or struck out in the first two innings and
did the same in the bottom of the third before Sam Schmidt bunted the ball in the air between the pitcher and third baseman. Schmidt got to second on a steal but a groundout quickly ended the inning. Will Ball pitched well for the Saints and kept Amery off balance in the first inning. Amery doubled in the second but went without a hit until Bielmeier’s homer in the fourth. The Saints defense turned down two threats in the next two innings, first when Gus Koecher threw out an Amery baserunner as he tried to steal second in the fifth. That play ended the inning and another key defensive play for the Saints came in the sixth with one out. Amery’s Joe Rubenzer hit a ground-rule double for Amery, and eventually made it to third on a steal. Amery’s next batter struck out but ran for first as Koecher dropped the ball. Koecher threw the base runner out easily at first but Rubenzer then tried stealing home. He was thrown out on a nice throw from Marcus Campbell to end the inning. Despite holding Amery to a single run the Saints went quietly in the bottom of the seventh to end the game. Ball pitched a great game for the Saints allowing three hits, one walk and had four strikeouts. The conference champion Saints ended the year at 9-1 in the conference and 15-8 overall, and lose just one senior, Schmidt, to graduation.