Lenerz escapes jams, Twins escape with win and stay unbeaten
By Dan Larson, Sauk Prairie Eagle
BLACK EARTH — The sixth and seventh innings of Sauk Prairie's Home Talent League match-up with Black Earth on July 12 had the potential to be disastrous for Paul Lenerz.
The Twins' starting pitcher kept it to just that, though: Potential.
Lenerz gave up a run in each inning to allow the Bombers to tie the game, but left the bases loaded both times and Chase Suchla scored on a wild pitch in the eighth to lift the Twins to a 3-2 win at Black Earth Community Park.
"I just re-focused and made pitches," said Lenerz, who also stranded runners at first and third in the third inning.
"I didn't give in because the situation got tough and … I hoped they wouldn't get it on the barrel and we could make some great defensive plays."
In fact, as good as Lenerz was getting out of those jams, his defense was equally as good all-game long.
Right-fielder Trent Sorg made a running catch in foul territory to end the second, shortstop Bob Spangler went up the middle to rob Matt Bakkum of a hit in the third and to his right to rob Andy Cowley an inning later and center-fielder Chase Suchla dove to his left to rob Cowley in the eighth, capping an error-free, web-gem worthy night for the Twins.
"Our defense reflects on how we won the game," said Sorg, who is also the team's manager. "There wasn't one guy slacking anywhere (and) everyone was doing their job trying their best to help Paul out on the mound."
William Gorsuch hit an RBI groundout in the fourth and Suchla singled to score Gorsuch in the sixth to make it 2-0 before Lenerz' jams in the sixth and seventh set up Suchla's game-winning run.
The win keeps the Twins (11-0, Northern Section Western Division) undefeated and with a two-game lead on Reedsburg (9-2).
After the game, Sorg was more impressed with how his team stayed unbeaten than anything else.
"I like playing these games because it makes us dig down in the pit of our stomach," he said, adding that, "One hit here or there (and) the game could have been flip-flopped on us."
SAUK PRAIRIE BLACK EARTH
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Salveson 3b 4 0 0 0 Brunner cf 4 1 1 0
Sorg rf 4 0 1 0 Kittoe 3b,p 4 1 2 1
Spangler ss 5 0 1 0 Schlimgen 1b 4 0 2 0
L. Koenig c 4 1 1 0 Pacholke dh 4 0 1 0
Pacholke 1b 3 0 0 0 Bakkum rf 2 0 0 1
Shara lf 4 0 0 0 Lobenstein ss 4 0 0 0
Gorsuch 2b 4 1 1 1 D'Orazio p,3b 3 0 0 0
Suchla cf 3 1 2 1 Cowley c 4 0 0 0
Lenerz p 3 0 1 0 Parent lf 3 0 2 0
Schreiber 2b 0 0 0 0
Totals 34 3 7 2 32 2 8 2
Sauk Prairie 000 101 010 - 3 7 0
Black Earth 000 001 100 - 2 8 3
DP - Black Earth 1. LOB - Sauk Prairie 10, Black Earth 12 . 2B - 3B - Salveson. HR - Sorg (1).
IP H R ER BB SO
Sauk Prairie
Lenerz W 9 8 2 2 4 4
Black Earth
D'Orazio L 8 7 3 2 6 6
Kittoe 1 0 0 0 0 0
HBP - Schlimgen by Lenerz, Pacholke by Lenerz.