B-T offense explodes at end of regular season, start of playoffs
Blair-Taylor left fielder Austin Thompson secured a catch during their game against Brookwood last week Tuesday. (Times photograph by Andrew Dannehy)
The regular season ended and the postseason started with a bang for the Blair-Taylor baseball team as it scored a combined 31 runs in two wins.
B-T fell in a big hole in its regular season finale last week Tuesday against Brookwood, but they climbed out of it, scoring 14 runs to win by four. They opened Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Regional play with a blowout, scoring 17 runs while no-hitting Elmwood/Plum City on Thursday.
With the regional win, (5) B-T (12-10) played at (4) Columbus Catholic in the regional semifinal on Tuesday of this week. The winner of that came will play the winner of the game between (1) Eleva-Strum and (9) Wisconsin Rapids Assumption.
The sectional is set for this coming Tuesday in Blair-Taylor. The first game will be played at 10 a.m., the second at 1 p.m. and the regional final is set for 4 p.m.
B-T 14 Brookwood 10
The Wildcats came back from a six-run deficit to win the game.
It was a tough start for B-T as Brookwood scored six runs on three hits, three walks and an error in the top of the first inning.
B-T gradually climbed out of the hole, but hit another bump in the road when Brookwood scored three in the top of the sixth to take a 10-5 lead. The Wildcats rallied with nine runs in the bottom of the sixth then held on for the win.
Jackson Shramek led off the sixth with a single and scored on a hit by Peyton Kelly. After a walk with the bases loaded, Kole Trapp hit a sacrifice fly that brought B-T within two runs with one out in the inning.
A run scored on a fielder’s choice for the second out of the inning, but B-T tied the game when Austin Thompson scored on a wild pitch. Another wild pitch put B-T in the lead as Tavian Shramek came home. Zach Nitek tripled to bring in two more runs then Kelly singled, making the score 14-10.
Brookwood got one runner on in the seventh, but a double play ended the game.
B-T had eight hits in the game as Tavian Shramek, Jackson Shramek and Kelly all had two. Nitek and Kelly had three RBIs.
Ryan Oldendorf was the winning pitcher, tossing the final two innings. B-T used five different pitchers in the game as Jackson Shramek got the start before Ryan Flynn took over, Tavian Shramek pitched an inning before being replaced by Anthony Oldendorf for another inning. They combined to strike out five while allowing 10 hits and six walks.
B-T 17 E/PC 0
The Wildcats were in complete control as they put up 17 runs on 14 hits while only allowing two Wolves players to reach base in the game.
Tavian Shramek kept the Wolves off-balance all game, finishing with a no-hitter while striking out eight, allowing one walk and one hit batter.
B-T took the lead with a run on an error in the bottom of the first. That’s all they’d need, but they kept hitting.
Michael Waldera, Anthony Oldendorf, Jackson Shramek, Kelly, Nitek and Flynn all had RBI singles in the second inning as the Wildcats put up 10 runs.
Jackson Shramek led off the third with a double and scored on a groundout. Ryan Oldendorf later tripled in two before Travis Pettis doubled in two more and Anthony Oldendorf’s RBI single made the score 17-0.
B-T’s lineup was balanced as Anthony Oldendorf, Jackson Shramek, Kelly, and Thompson all had two hits and six more players had one hit. Waldera, Ryan Oldendorf, Thompson, Kelly, Jackson Shramek and Anthony Oldendorf all had two RBIs.
