Pirates finish regular season 11-2, wait for playoffs

Dan Larson/Capital Newspapers

SAUK CITY-It might seem far-fetched to say that a pitcher who gives up three runs in a complete-game effort didn't have his "best stuff." But that's exactly what Reedsburg second baseman and manager Paul Molitor said about Steve Hedgepath after Hedgepath gave up ten hits in a 3-2, Home Talent League loss to Sauk Prairie on July 27 at Sauk City Athletic Field.

It's not that Hedgepath had poor stuff, he just didn't dominate like he did while throwing a no-hitter in Reedsburg's previous game, an 11-2 win over Plain on July 22.

Still, it was enough to give the Pirates (11-3) a chance to win.

"Anytime a pitcher only gives up three runs, you're definitely in the ball game. That's all you can ask from a pitcher," Molitor said.

"We just didn't get it done with the bats today."

The loss means Sauk Prairie (13-1), which entered with a one-game lead over Reedsburg, gets home field advantage throughout the Northern Section playoffs.

"I'm not sure there was any pressure, but we definitely wanted to win," said Molitor, whose team would have forced either a playoff game or coin-flip to determine the regular-season champion with a win.

"We wanted to tie for first place and have a chance to get the first seed for the playoffs."

Things looked good for the Pirates early on.

Kris Rosholt scored from third to take advantage of an error by shortstop Bob Spangler, who threw wide of first base trying to turn an inning-ending double play, and give Reedsburg a 1-0 lead in the second.

But the Twins tied the game in the fourth when Lucas Koenig, who led off the inning with a double, scored on a two-out, bloop single by Chuckie Schara.

Schara came through again in the sixth, reaching base on a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt down the first-base line that left runners on first and second with no outs.

William Gorsuch followed with a sac-bunt, moving Schara to second and Suchla — who led off the inning with a single — to third before a wild pitch by Hedgepath allowed Suchla to put the Twins ahead 2-1.

And Heath Salveson's two-out single to center field allowed Schara to make it 3-1.

"That was huge to get two guys on and save that out," Twins' right fielder and manager Trent Sorg said of Schara's sac-bunt turned hit that allowed him to score what proved to be the game-winning run.

"That was a big turning point."

Added Molitor: "We knew it was going to be a close game. It was going to come down to who got the big hit, and I think Sauk got a couple big hits."

Don Molitor doubled with two outs in the seventh before scoring on a single by James Corwith to make it 3-2, but Twins' starting pitcher Paul Lenerz induced a groundout to end the inning.

Lenerz allowed back-to-back, one-out singles by Paul Molitor and Brandon Peyer in the eighth, but got Trevor Berndt on a foul-out to first baseman Steve Pacholke and struck out Rosholt to end the threat.

Now that the Pirates finished two games behind Sauk Prairie for the Northern Section's best record, Molitor said it's time to get ready for the playoffs.

"You set goals at the beginning of the season and the first goal is to win your division. But then the ultimate goal is to get to the playoffs and play well in the playoffs.

"We'll just have to pick ourselves up and get ready for that," he said.