Whitetails thump A’s, lose close to Bears

The Whitehall Whitetails scored 10 unanswered runs in a win last week, but suffered a walk-off loss the next day.

Whitehall fell behind Augusta early, but scored at least one run in five consecutive innings to pull away for a 10-1 win last Tuesday. It looked like Whitehall would make it two in a row on Wednesday, but the team allowed four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to lose, 6-5.

Last week’s games concluded the regular season play for the Whitetails. A meeting on Tuesday night will determine the team’s seeding and regional assignment for the Wisconsin Baseball Association playoffs. Whitehall is the defending WBA Class B State Champions. 

Whitehall 10 Augusta 1

Once the Whitetails got going, they didn’t slow down.

Augusta took a 1-0 lead on an RBI single in the bottom of the third inning, but Whitehall tied the game when Chris Killian singled Kyle Steien home in the fourth. 

Whitehall took the lead in the fifth when Xavier Santillan drove Alex Sartor home. Brandon Sylla hit an RBI single in the next at-bat, making the score 3-1. 

Steien scored again in the sixth when he led off with a single and eventually stole home. Tyler Webb added an RBI single later in the inning. Steien and Killian both hit two-run singles in the seventh as the Whitetails broke the game open.

Devon McCune added an RBI single in the eighth for the game’s final run.

Whitehall had 18 hits in the game as McCune, Killian, and Sylla all had three. Santillan, Sartor, Jake Bjerke, and Steien all had two hits. Killian drove in three runs, and Steien had two RBIs.

McCune was the winning pitcher. He held the Athletics to six hits and struck out three without allowing a walk. 

EC Bears 6 Whitehall 5

It looked like Whitehall would make it two in a row, but the team collapsed in the bottom of the ninth inning, allowing four runs in a walk-off loss. 

Whitehall was ahead for the entire game and got the leadoff batter out in the ninth inning. An error allowed a runner on before a double brought a run home. Former Independence/Gilmanton player Hunter Guenther doubled in another run for the Bears. Guenther eventually scored the winning run, coming home on a two-out single. 

Whitehall scored three runs in the first as Brock Sluga hit an RBI single. The other runs scored on a groundout and an error.

The Bears responded with two in the bottom half of the inning, but Whitehall maintained control when two runs scored on an error in the third. That’s where the score stood until the seventh.

Brayden Lisowski took the loss, throwing 131 pitches in 7 2/3 innings. He allowed seven hits and seven walks, while striking out four. Only one of the four runs charged to him was earned. Jake Bjerke was the starting pitcher, but he was replaced after the first inning. 

Guenther was the starter for Eau Claire, but did not factor in the decision as he was replaced after seven innings. He struck out 14 and held Whitehall to five hits, while walking one. 

Sluga had two of Whitehall’s five hits.