G-E-T drops playoff thriller against West Salem

The postseason rubber match between Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau and West Salem had all the ingredients of a playoff classic: a conference rivalry, intensity bordering on chippiness, passionate fans, heroics, mistakes and wild swings back and forth in the game action.

In a game dripping with drama from nearly start to finish, it was the Red Hawks who were left to rue the opportunities that slipped away in a gutting season-ending loss.

No. 10 seed West Salem (10-12) got the last laugh this season against No. 7 seed G-E-T (15-9), as the Panthers outlasted the Red Hawks for a dramatic 8-7 victory in their WIAA Division Two regional quarterfinal clash last Thursday in Galesville.

The two teams split their games during the regular season, with the Panthers winning 7-6 in West Salem on May 12 and G-E-T hammering them 18-1 at home three days later. That one-run loss proved costly for the Red Hawks in their pursuit of a conference title, as they ultimately finished one game back of Coulee champion Westby in the final standings.

The postseason rubber match had fireworks in nearly every inning. After West Salem scored on an error in the top of the first, G-E-T leapfrogged ahead 2-1 in the bottom half of the inning on a Jackson Burns RBI single and a run on an error. The Panthers answered right back with two runs in the second, then another in the third for a 4-2 advantage.

In the top of the fourth, West Salem’s Jameson Skifton was thrown out trying to steal third to end the inning. Skifton collided with G-E-T third baseman Wyatt Oines on the play on a bit of a late slide. A brief exchange followed between coaches during the changeover between innings.

A pair of G-E-T runners reached in the bottom of the fourth and moved into scoring position on a balk. Oines seized the opportunity with a two-run single that tied the score at 4-4.

The Panthers kept the pressure on, however, with three runs in the top of the fifth to jump back ahead 7-4.

Calvin Davis led off the home half of the fifth with an extra-base hit, but he was thrown out trying to turn a double into a triple — a decision G-E-T head coach Scott Hovell took responsibility for and expressed regret over following the game.

A parade of baserunners followed, with Caiden Brady smacking a two-run single to slice the deficit to 7-6. That became a 7-7 tie thanks to a Burns RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.

With two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, Oliver Marley issued a costly walk that brought home the go-ahead run before escaping the jam without any further damage.

Down to their last out in the bottom of the seventh, the Red Hawks put up a fight with a walk from Oines and a single by Mitchell Thell. But Sam De Jager lined out to the second baseman to end the game.

West Salem mobbed on the field in celebration while G-E-T players and coaches were left to grapple with the emotions of an intense playoff loss.

“It’s win or go home,” Hovell said. “These games are different. They just feel different. It’s just a great group of kids. They’re awesome guys and I didn’t want to see it end.”

Burns finished the game by going 3 for 4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Davis and Thell each collected two hits apiece for the Red Hawks.

G-E-T 15 Altoona 5

In a final tune-up before the start of the playoffs, the Red Hawks ended the regular season with a six-inning win over Altoona (14-11) last Tuesday in Galesville.

G-E-T only led 7-5 through five innings, but a massive eight-run rally in the bottom of the sixth allowed them to secure an unexpected mercy rule victory.

Calvin Davis went 3 for 3 with a trio of doubles, a walk, four RBIs and a run and Sam De Jager finished 3 for 4 with a walk, two RBIs and two runs scored.