Norse season ends as rally falls short

The Whitehall baseball team made a push to extend its season, but two runs in the top of the seventh inning weren’t enough in a 6-4 loss to Mondovi last Thursday.

No. 6 Mondovi took an early lead, but No. 11 Whitehall put some stress on the home team with two runs in the seventh, then ended the game — and the season — with the bases loaded. 

Kade Foss led off the seventh with a single and moved to third on a pair of passed balls. Brett Schorbahn drove Foss in with a single. After Schorbahn moved into scoring position on a groundout, he scored on a single by Riley Herman. 

Deacon Steig then walked before Jacob Sartor singled to load the bases. The game ended when senior Mason Bautch struck out. 

Whitehall had the lead late in the game. Mondovi scored first with one run in the first inning, but Whitehall scored two in the top of the fourth. Herman doubled to lead off the inning and scored when Steig hit into an error. Connor Stevens put Whitehall ahead with a sacrifice fly.

The Norse struggled in the fifth inning, however, as Mondovi scored five runs on four hits, including a triple, a double, and a two-run homer.

Herman took the loss on the mound. He didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning, when he surrendered three before being replaced by Sartor, who gave up the home run. Herman walked five batters and struck out three. The home run was the only hit Sartor allowed, as he struck out one and didn’t allow a walk in 1 2/3 innings. 

Herman also had two of Whitehall’s seven hits, while five other players had one.

The Division 3 regional loss combined with a 9-2 loss to Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau earlier in the week (see story elsewhere in Sports) put Whitehall’s final record at 10-10 on the season. Most of the players are set to return next year, though four of the five seniors on the roster were starters.