Regional Champion Bulldogs Bow Out in SectionalIssue Date: June 2, 2022 Bulldogs Claim
Regional Gold With
Win Over Hatchets
The sixth inning was the key inning as Peshtigo pulled off a regional championship win over Tomahawk on Thursday.
After a scoreless first where the Bulldogs put runners on first and second with one out but couldn't push them across, the bottom of the Bulldog order got it going in the second.
Sam LaCoursiere walked with one out and Tori Jandt reached on an error. A Rylie Ellie single kept things moving, and leadoff hitter Allison Peters got an RBI fielder's choice. Emma Gilligan singled home Ellie to give Peshtigo a 3-0 advantage.
Tomahawk got two back in the third, with a walk and hit batter starting things off. With runners on second and third and one out after an error and a single, Bethany Ahrens would get the next two batters, one by strikeout and one on a flyout to center, to end the threat.
Tomahawk got a runner to third in the fifth inning and Peshtigo got a runner on second with a two-out Akira Smalls double, but neither could take advantage, and the game remained 3-2 going into the sixth.
Tomahawk's Maddie Merino doubled to lead off the sixth. After two outs, Hannah Beranek scored her on a single to right. Beranek would also score the go-ahead run in the inning.
That left Peshtigo trailing 4-3 in the sixth. Again, it was the bottom of the order coming through immediately.
Six-hitter Sam Kodric walked to start the frame, LaCoursiere reached from the seven hole, and both Jandt and Ellie were hit by pitches.
Peters walked and Ahrens provided an RBI, and suddenly Peshtigo led 6-4 after some timely walks and hit batters.
Ahrens held Tomahawk scoreless in the seventh with some help from Kodric, who made a great diving catch in right field to end the game.
The Bulldogs had just four hits in the game, but they made them count.
Ellie and LaCoursiere each scored two runs in the game. Ellie was 1-2 hitting. Kodric and Jandt each scored one run. Smalls was 2-4 out of the cleanup spot.
"Their pitcher (Merino) threw a great game, striking out 12 hitters, but our girls kept their composure and hung in there," Peshtigo coach Matt LaCoursiere said. "Every game from here out is going to be as tough as the last. I'm proud of the girls for showing their character and grinding out a regional championship game victory."
In the circle, Ahrens went seven innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on three walks, four hits, and one hit batter. She struck out 10.
Peshtigo Falls to
Amherst in
Sectional Semi-final
Peshtigo's season came to an end with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Amherst in the first round of sectionals Tuesday.
Peshtigo took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Sam Kodric singled, and after an error and sacrifice, she scored on a Rylie Ellie single.
That lead held until the fifth, when a Haley Peskie double and an error produced a run. In the top of the seventh, Peskie doubled again, scoring a teammate to give her team the lead.
Peshtigo went down in order in the seventh to end the game.
Kodric was 1-3 for Peshtigo and Sam LaCoursiere went 1-3, also reaching on an error. Ellie was 1-3 with an RBI.
Bethany Ahrens started in the circle. She went seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and four walks. She struck out eight. At the plate, she was 2-3.
The Bulldogs left five runners stranded in scoring position.
"This game is just a nasty game sometimes. Sometimes you win a game like that and sometimes you get beat. Unfortunately, it wasn't our day," Peshtigo coach Matt LaCoursiere said. "We hit the ball the whole game. We were just hitting the ball right at people. We had quite a few hard-hit balls that were caught. When you're around this game long enough, it just happens once in a while. The girls did a good job. They were aggressive, we hit the ball, and it's unfortunately the name of the game."
Ahrens and Allison Peters, the team's two top pitchers, both return to the program as seniors next season.
"Our pitching is outstanding. They've been solid all year. I could never ask for anything more out of my pitchers. I've got two kids that are arguably all-state kids," LaCoursiere said. "It's just a tough game. She can't win the game by herself on the mound. We've got to score. However, their pitcher did a good job of keeping us off-balance. It's one of the things, and unfortunately it didn't go our way."
Peshtigo sees the departure of Kodric, Sydney Lund, Tori Jandt, and Emma Gilligan.
"All four of those were a big part of what went on this year, however, every coach faces it. We lost four seniors from last year's team and we had to replace them," coach LaCoursiere said. "Hopefully we can have some kids step up. Hopefully we get kids that are willing to work and get better in the offseason, and I think they will. They're getting a taste of what it is to compete, not just locally. We're competing at a state level, and that's where we want to be."
Badgers Bounced From
Tourney by Sevastopol
Niagara was eliminated by top-seeded Sevastopol 6-1 in the regional championship game Thursday night.
Sevastopol scored three runs in the bottom of the first and two in the second to take a 5-0 advantage.
Abby Wells scored in the third to put the Badgers on the board, but offense was tough to come by for Niagara. The team would finish with two hits and three walks.
Mallory Sanicki and Lillian Loukus each had hits for the Badgers.
Wells took the loss, allowing six earned on six hits and seven walks. She struck out seven.
Sevastopol's Libby Ash threw six innings, allowing one run and striking out six.
No. 1 Sevastopol moved on to face second seed Laona/Wabeno in the Division 5 playoffs on Tuesday.
Blue Devils Bow
to Falcons In
Regional Title Game
A first-inning Amherst home run put Oconto behind the eight ball in the regional championship on Tuesday, helping the Falcons to a 5-1 win.
In the top of the first, with two outs and a runner on first, Sydney Jastromski clubbed a two-run home run to center field to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead.
In the third inning, it was again two-out production that paved the way for Amherst, with a two-out single scoring a run to make it 3-0 and a passed ball pushing the lead to 4-0.
Amherst made it 5-0 in the fifth. Oconto got on the board with a Alyse Viestenz RBI single in the sixth, but the Blue Devils came up short of a sectional berth by a 5-1 tally.
Viestenz went 2-3 with an RBI and a walk. Maggie Sohrweide and Juliana Sieber were 1-4 each, with Sieber scoring a run. Kadynn Bostwick, Lauren McDowell, and Addisyn Viestenz each went 1-3.
Haley Peskie got the win, spreading seven hits and a walk across seven innings. She only struck out two, but she kept the ball where her defense could get to it and allowed just the one run.
Annika Schleuter took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits and a walk. She struck out six.
The Blue Devils lose several key contributors to graduation this spring, including McKenna Seidl, Sieber, and Sohrweide.
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