With three outs left and two runs needed to prolong their season, the Mauston Golden Eagles baseball team couldn't come-up with the type of dramatics they have been known for all season, as the reigning Division 2 champion Madison Edgewood Crusaders held on for an 8-6 Sectional final win to return to the State tournament.

Mauston's run to the Sectional finals came with a trio of one-run wins that gave them a chance to earn their first State baseball tournament appearance. Mauston topped Nekoosa 5-4 in Regional semifinals, Wisconsin Dells 3-2 in the Regional finals, and shutdown Prairie du Chien's high powered offense in a 2-1 win in the Sectional semifinals, before bowing out to the Crusaders.

"We had a string of four straight one-run wins just playing clutch baseball. These guys never said die," Mauston coach Chris Lavold said.

The Golden Eagles could've folded after facing a 6-1 deficit against Edgewood after the top of the third, but that isn't their style.

Mauston scored three runs in the bottom of the third as Kyle Randall walked and advance to third on a wild throw to first. Brady Nelson hit an RBI double, David Linsmeyer and Dustin Manthe drew walks and Zach Merath plated two runs with a hit to cut the lead to 6-4.

The Crusaders scored a run in the top of the fourth, but Mauston came right back cutting the lead to just one at 7-6 in the bottom of the fifth as Ryan Miller hit a two-out RBI single to score the Golden Eagles' sixth run.

Mauston's offense couldn't get anything going after that as Edgewood's Chris Anderson retired seven straight Mauston batters and the Crusaders added an insurance run in the top of the seventh to escape with the 8-6 win.

The Golden Eagles were hampered by five errors in the loss, including four in the Crusaders three-run first inning.

David Linsmeyer led the Mauston attack with a 2x3 performance at the plate, Nelson added an RBI double for the Golden Eagles.

Edgewood scored eight runs on nine hits.

"It was a very good season for us and this has been a great experience for the kids," said Lavold. "The win earlier put us at 20 wins, which is the most we have ever had, and this was the first Sectional apperance for Mauston since 1968."

MAUSTON 2,

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN 1

In the Sectional semifinal game the Golden Eagles faced the fourth-ranked Prairie du Chien Blackhawks, and needed to slow down an offensive attack that amassed over 235 runs on the season and a defense that gave up just under 80 runs on the year.

Mauston went with Brady Nelson on the mound, and Nelson took the challenge and went right at the Blackhawks, striking out nine game and giving up only one hit in the first six innings.

Nelson, along with Dustin Manthe, provided some offensive fireworks for the Golden Eagles, each hitting a solo home run, with Manthe hitting one to lead of the second and Nelson following up with his own in the bottom of the third.

The Blackhawks offense start to pick up in the top of the seventh as they picked up three hits and scored, but Nelson got Kevin Aspenson to flyout to Kenny Waukau in right field to end the threat and put the Golden Eagles into the Sectional final.

"They were probably the best team in the Sectional, and Brady holds them to one-run," said Lavold. "To beat a great hitting team like that and hold them to just one-run was a huge win for us. Only having two hits and winning, Brady (Nelson) pitched amazing and we got two big home runs from Brady and Dustin (Manthe). It was awesome."

The Golden Eagles season came to an end with a 20-8 record and winning a South Central Conference and Regional title.

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