Bandits let one get away

By Andy Davis - News Republic

After holding DeForest to one run through seven innings, the Baraboo American Legion baseball team gave up five in the top of the eighth inning in a 6-1 loss Monday.

After Bandits starting pitcher Sam Seymour's wild pitch allowed DeForest to score its first run in the third inning, Baraboo held the potent offense scoreless with a combination of good pitching and solid defense.

The Bandits (5-10) scored their only run of the game on a balk in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 1-all.

As they've had in many of their games this season, the Bandits had their chances to score.

They wasted leadoff singles by Ethan Dosier in the third and Mark Kowalke in the fourth.

A leadoff walk to Nick Labeots was erased when he was picked off of first base in the sixth inning.

Baraboo was 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

"We can get guys to second and third, we just can't get them in," Baraboo coach Craig Schlender said after the game.

With all the missed opportunities on Baraboo's side, DeForest let its share of chances fall through as well. It had at least one runner in scoring position in every inning but the fifth and sixth.

But DeForest didn't waste the eighth inning.

After a pair of singles to start the inning, Baraboo made its first of three errors in the frame. A bunt that was thrown away let another run come home. in all, there were three hits, two walks and two unearned runs in the inning, as the Bandits dug themselves into a 6-1 hole.

"I think what happened is when we had one mistake it kind of multiplied and everybody lost focus," Schlender said.

Still, the first-year head coach said taking a tough DeForest team down to the wire was a good way to prepare for the upcoming regional tournament, which begins Thursday.

The Bandits will play Sauk Prairie in the first round, and the location of the game has yet to be determined. While the tournament is being played in Holmen, coaches from both teams are trying to get the first game moved closer to home.

The winner of that game will face the loser of a later game between Richland Center and Holmen.

"I thought it was a real good preparation, it just got a little out of hand at the end," Schlender said.

The Bandits split the game between four pitchers, Seymour, Brady Olson, Jake Overlien and Cody Holloway.

Overlien took the loss, tossing a good sixth and seventh innings before not being able to get out of the eighth. He gave up two earned runs.

Seymour went the first four innings, allowing four hits and four walks with one run coming in.

Olson threw a scoreless fifth, and Holloway got out of the eighth, giving up an unearned run on one hit and two walks.

At the plate, the Bandits were held to five hits — one each by Kowalke, Overlien, Dosier, Jon Schlender and Robbie Schultz.

DeForest 001 000 05 — 6 8 0

Baraboo 000 010 00 — 1 5 4