Norse get walk-off home run to sweep DC opponents

The Whitehall baseball team almost lost its tie for first place, but a walk-off three-run home run gave the team a 10-9 win to help them keep pace at the top of the Dairyland Conference.

The Norse began the week with a 12-3 win over Augusta that included a three-run home run by Mason Pientok last Monday. On Tuesday, Whitehall was looking a loss in the face as the team trailed by two entering the bottom of the seventh. But the first two runners reached base and Brock Sluga ended the game with one swing of the bat. 

With an 8-1 DC record, Whitehall is tied with Eleva-Strum and Independence/Gilmanton for first place. The Norse were scheduled to play at home against Cochrane-Fountain City on Monday and at Alma/Pepin on Tuesday of this week. Thursday will be a big one as Whitehall hosts E-S before playing at Augusta on Friday.

This coming Monday, Whitehall will play at I/G then heads to C-FC next Tuesday. 

Whitehall 12 Augusta 3

A three-run home run by Mason Pientok broke the game open for the Norse.

Augusta came up with three runs in the top of the first inning before Whitehall matched it in the second. The Norse had already taken the lead as Preston Schroeder led off the second with a single, which was followed by two walks and two hit batters. Pientok came up with two on and cleared the bases with a blast over the fence, making the score 9-3.

Whitehall added another run in the third on an RBI single by Devon McCune. They scored two in the fifth as an RBI single by Brayden Lisowski brought one home and McCune hit into a fielder’s choice that allowed another run to score.

McCune also had an RBI triple in the first inning as he was two-for-three with three RBIs in the game. Pientok added a double in the sixth to go two-for-four with three RBIs. 

Lisowski got the win on the mound, striking out two with four walks and three hits allowed. Bryce Schorbahn pitched the final two innings, striking out four. None of Augusta’s runs were earned. 

Whitehall 10 Mel-Min 9

With one swing of the bat, the Whitehall baseball team went from losing by two runs in its final at-bat to winning by one.

The Norse went into the bottom of the seventh facing a two-run deficit. A walk followed by a hit batter put the tying run on base, but Brock Sluga had bigger ideas. With no outs, Sluga blasted an offering over the fence to give Whitehall a 10-9 walk-off win. 

While the teams combined for nearly 20 runs, most of them came after the third inning. The Mustangs scored two in the top of the fourth to increase their lead to 3-0. 

Whitehall battled throughout as Eric Kleinhans hit an RBI double and later scored himself in the bottom of the inning. Mel-Min added another run in the top of the fifth, but Whitehall answered with three in the bottom — including a two-run double by Lisowski. Lisowski later scored to put Whitehall ahead, 5-4.

The Mustangs responded with a big inning, scoring five runs on six hits — including two doubles — to take a 9-5 lead. 

Sluga doubled to lead off the sixth and later scored on a sacrifice before another run scored on an error. The Norse still trailed, 9-7, when Sluga came up again in the bottom of the seventh before he ended the game with a blast.

Sluga was two-for-four with four RBIs in the game. Lisowski batted in three runs and Kleinhans had two RBIs. Preston Schroeder had two hits and one RBI.

Seth Lambeck got the start and pitched into the fifth inning, allowing four hits while striking out three without a walk. McCune finished the game, striking out six without a walk