Post 191 splits with Osseo, West Salem
Brayden Lisowski got the start for Whitehall in a Wisconsin legion baseball game at West Salem High School last Friday. Whitehall fell 14-4 in five innings. (Times photograph by Benjamin Pierce)
Whitehall Post 191 is off and running in their first-ever season as an official American Legion baseball team.
Post 191 split a pair of games last week, beating Osseo 4-1 on Thursday before a strong West Salem program handled Post 191 in a lopsided victory the following day.
Whitehall (2-2) was scheduled to visit Onalaska on Tuesday before hosting Holmen on Thursday. They were also set to play in a tournament on Saturday.
Whitehall 4 Osseo 1
A four-run opening inning did the trick for Whitehall on Thursday in Osseo.
Aidan Sonsalla picked up the win for Whitehall while also having a pair of hits, including a double. Pientok drove in two more runs on a double with Devon McCune and Brayden Lisowski also contributing RBIs.
Post 324 scored its only run in the second inning as Sonsalla limited the Osseo team to four hits and one walk while striking out six. McCune pitched the last 1.1 innings to get the save.
W. Salem 14 Whitehall 4
Despite racking up three runs in their first trip to the plate, Whitehall allowed seven runs in the second inning on Friday and the hosts never slowed in a five-inning win.
Mason Pientok got things going for Whitehall with a two-run single in the first inning before Isaac Skogen scored on an error to make it 3-0. Pientok co-led Post 191 with two hits alongside Devon McCune.
“We were coming out pretty aggressive,” coach Mike Gilbertson said. “I think that’s what summer ball is about is trying to get them to try different approaches and be more aggressive and try new things. We came out and just hit the ball well.”
Post 191 then lost their focus for a bit in the second inning, and multiple fielding errors allowed West Salem to take control.
“What we need to do is stay focused. A couple funny things happened and it took our focus away,” he said, pointing to only allowing four hits in the second inning despite giving up seven runs.
He told the group that they will get better this summer because they will only play strong teams such as West Salem in the coulee region. Mental lapses will hurt them as Post 191 sets forward on a sumer against good teams, Gilbertson said, but it could make them better, too.
“We’re not going to find a gimme anywhere in this 19U. We’re playing very good teams on any given night, so we have to be ready to play those really good teams on those nights.”
