Portage's fast start to the Senior Legion season steadily has slowed to a crawl.

Reedsburg pitcher Cam Bauer allowed three hits over four innings for the win, third baseman Chad Mazur drove in four runs and Reedsburg's 17s American Legion team handled Portage 12-3 on Thursday at Bidwell Field.

Portage starter Mitch Bortz held Reedsburg to two runs on four hits through the first three innings but was tagged for seven runs in the fourth as Reedsburg pulled away.

"Tonight we played the underclassmen, we told the seniors to stay home," Portage coach Bill Greene said. "So we didn't come at them full bore. But the kids need the experience, too, so this was a game we just picked to give all those guys starts and they did fine for the most part. Reedsburg's a really good squad, too. They're loaded."

Corey Rosol, Grant Rudolph — a first-team all-conference player in the Badger North this spring — and Mazur each had two-run hits in the seventh inning and Seth Brandt capped the scoring with an RBI single that scored Mazur and gave Reedsburg a 9-0 lead. Portage third baseman Ben Boeck hit a two-run double as part of a three-run bottom of the fourth for Portage that cut its deficit to 9-3, but Reedsburg answered with three runs in the top of the fifth, including a two-run single by Matt Lennon — a first-team all-conference player — and a run-scoring single by Mazur.

Bauer struck out four in the win, improving to 2-0. Portage had runners on second and third with two outs in the third inning but Bauer struck out Bortz to end the threat.

Reedsburg improves to 6-0 on the Legion season while Portage falls to 5-3.

Reedsburg scored twice in the first inning on a run-scoring double by Mazur — a second-team all-Badger North infielder this spring — and an RBI groundout by Seth Brandt. Bortz settled down and held Reedsburg scoreless over the next two innings.

Reedsburg had runners in scoring position in the second and third but Bortz got out of both jams. He struck out the final two batters he faced in the second and got Brandt to pop up to end the third. It was the first time Bortz pitched into the fourth in his career.

"Reedsburg came out and had probably four or five bleeders. I think it really got to the kids. They had maybe two hard-hit balls off of Mitch Bortz. He did a nice job," said Greene, who credited assistant coach Dave Hamilton for developing the team's young pitchers this summer. Jake Parrott made his first Senior Legion appearance when he came on in relief in the fourth and Tyler Twing made his second appearance when he pitched the seventh.

"We tried to get some guys that haven't pitched a lot accustomed to what varsity pitching is all about," Greene said. "We have a lot of work to do, but these are the kinds of kids that are gonna buckle down and get it done."

REEDSBURG 17s 12, PORTAGE 3

Reedsburg .........200 730 0 - 12 14 1

Portage ..............000 300 0 - 3  4 1

Pitchers - Bauer (W), Mazur (5), Gudenschwager (7); Bortz (L), Parrott (4), Greene (5), Twing (7). SO leaders - Bortz 5, Bauer 4.

Leading hitters - R: Lennon 2x3, Rudolph 2x4, Mazur 3x3, Rockweiler 2x4. 2B - R: Mazur (2), Johansen, Rockweiler. P: Boeck.