For the first time since 2000, Beaver Dam can call itself Little Ten baseball champions.

A nine-run outburst in the third inning combined with six strong innings in relief from Nick Rechek helped the host Golden Beavers fend off Waupun Monday, 11-8, in a battle of LTC co-leaders.

The win gives BD (11-5, 8-3 LTC) no less than a share of the title with one game left at Waupun (11-4, 5-4) today.

"It feels good," Rechek said. "We haven't had one since 2000.

"We were projected to finish fifth in the conference."

It didn't start out easy for the hosts as the Warriors, ranked fifth in Division 2 by the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association, threatened to blow the game wide open in the top of the first.

With two out, Taylor Nehls smashed his fifth home run in his last four games to take a 2-0 lead. Jake Wojahn followed with a single and Ryan Rasmussen reached on a dropped third strike to keep the inning alive.

Joey Dolgner made BD pay for its mistake, lining a two-run single off Cody Schmitt for a 4-0 advantage.

On the pitch to Dolgner, Schmitt popped a tendon in his throwing arm, forcing Rechek to come in off the bench in the second. The senior hurler struck out five while taking command of the strike zone with first-pitch strikes.

"The best pitch in baseball is the first pitch strike," Waupun coach Kevin DeBoer said. "It's so important."

Waupun would find out the repercussions of ball one in the third.

Alex Finke led off with a walk and Matt Haase singled to bring up Ben Schmid. The senior third baseman took a 1-0 pitch from Mitch Bille and blasted it over the left field wall to pull BD within one, 4-3.

Eric Sackett reached on an error by Dolgner. Two batters later, Matt Eschenbauch doubled to bring home Sackett, tying the score at 4.

Rollie Keel then hit a fly ball that Jake VandeKolk misplayed in left, putting runners on second and third.

Dusty Blanchard executed a perfect suicide squeeze bunt to score Eschenbauch. Mitch Minnig followed with a single off Dolgner's glove for a 6-4 lead. Finke finished off the inning by smashing another three-run homer.

"It was a 2-2 pitch and I wasn't looking to put a big swing on it," Finke said. "He left me a perfect fastball down the middle and I hit it."

Waupun finished with five errors and two defensive miscues on bunt situations.

"You can't allow all those extra outs," DeBoer said. "Your pitcher's going to fatigue.

"We haven't messed up like that (on defense) all year."

For Rechek, who watched all the action from the dugout, there wasn't much to complain about.

"It was awesome going out there with a five-run lead," Rechek said.

Waupun wasn't about to go down quietly. With two outs in the fifth, Nehls hit another deep shot to the wall for a double. Wojahn followed with a two-base hit of his own and Rasmussen walked to set up Dolgner. He delivered with a two-run double, cutting the deficit to 9-7.

"Waupun's a very nice club," BD coach Joe Loizzo said. "They can hit the ball up and down the lineup.

"The Nehls kid is awfully damn good. They have a quality program."

BD responded right away with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Minnig doubled and Finke reached on a Dolgner error. A walk loaded the bases before Schmid hit a sacrifice fly to deep left. Sackett followed with an RBI single, upping the lead to 11-7.

It almost wasn't enough against the defending Division 2 state champions.

In the top of the seventh, Nehls walked with one out and Wojahn connected on his third hit of the game. Rasmussen followed with a deep single to left, scoring Nehls and bringing the tying run to the plate.

Rechek bore down, striking out Dolgner looking.

Bo Miles then came up and hit a deep drive to center. A slight breeze came up and held the ball in the park enough for Blanchard to put it away for the win.

"I liked the way we battled down five," DeBoer said. "When Miles hit that ball, it looked like it could have gone out and that would have changed things.

"But if you told me we would have scored eight runs against their top two pitchers, I would have taken my chances that we would win."

With a chance to take the title outright today, BD is looking to be a little selfish.

"It's huge," said Finke of winning the title. "There's no better feeling than to win it.

"Hopefully, we can take it all tomorrow."

BEAVER DAM 11, WAUPUN 8

Waupun 400 030 1 - 8 9 5

Beaver Dam 009 020 x - 11 11 2

Pitchers (ip-h-er-bb-so) - Bille (L; 2.1-8-4-3-4), Navis (3.2-3-2-2-6), Schmitt (1-4-4-1-1), Rechek (W; 6-5-4-3-5).

Leading hitters: W - Nehls 2x3, Wojahn 3x4, Dolgner 2x4; BD - Minnig 3x4, Eschenbauch 2x4. HR: W - Nehls; BD - Finke, Schmid. 2B: W - Nehls, Wojahn, Dolgner; BD - Minnig. RBI: W - Dolgner (4), Nehls (2); BD - Schmid (4), Finke (3).