Red Hawks take one of three
Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau baseball came into the week with a chance to establish themselves in the Coulee Conference, but ran into a stiff competition in a Thursday doubleheader.
The week began with a promising Coulee win over Black River Falls, but a doubleheader with conference-leading Viroqua did not go as fortunately for G-E-T.
The Red Hawks dropped both games to the Blackhawks, moving their record to 2-3 overall on the season. Their Coulee conference mark is now 2-2.
G-E-T 11 BR Falls 1
Eight unanswered runs over the first three innings powered the Red Hawks to a five-inning win over Black River Falls last Monday.
After a leadoff walk came around to score in the bottom of the first for G-E-T, a six-run second inning put the Red Hawks firmly in control.
The bottom third of the lineup got things started offensively, as Cole Williams and Warren Stoner reached on consecutive singles. After a strikeout and an RBI groundout pushed a run across, two-out miscues by BRF kept the inning alive. Ethan Stoner was hit by a pitch, which Jack Beedle followed with a single to score two runs. The next two batters for G-E-T walked to load the bases, before a wild pitch and an error by the Tigers’ catcher allowed two more runs to score. Another wild pitch a batter later allowed the third runner to score, capping a six-run inning to move the lead to 7-0.
Ethan Stoner doubled home a run in the third, after completing his third shutout inning on the mound in the top half of the inning. Stoner allowed one hit and struck out six over three innings. Thomas Haney came on in relief in the top of the fourth, allowing one run on one hit and striking out two over the final two innings.
Williams drove in two with a single in the bottom of the fourth, which Brady Seiling followed with an RBI single three batters later. Williams was the leading hitter for G-E-T, tallying two of the team’s seven hits, driving in two runs and scoring two runs. Collin Handke also reached all three plate appearances on a base hit and two walks, leading to two runs scored. Beedle and Seiling also drove in two each, and Owen Eddy and Warren Stoner also reached three times each on a base hit and two walks apiece.
Viroqua 10 G-E-T 0
Brady Seiling reached on a walk to lead off the game before grounding to center for a single in the third inning, but that would be all the Red Hawks could muster offensively in game one of the doubleheader.
Viroqua pitcher Noah Mathison was able to avoid hard contact in a five-inning shutout, striking out three while managing to keep the rest of the Red Hawks from reaching base.
Riley Kirkey largely matched Mathison early on, but a three-run third inning helped Blackhawks hitters settle in for two more in the fourth and a mercy rule-clinching four-run fifth. Kirkey allowed seven earned runs on 12 hits and two walks in the loss.
Viroqua 8 G-E-T 2
The Red Hawks were more competitive in game two of the doubleheader, but a four-run fifth inning helped the Blackhawks take the sweep.
Viroqua took the early lead on an RBI double in the top of the first, resulting in an early 1-0 lead that held until the bottom of the third.
G-E-T drew even on a Handke single that led to an error in right field, allowing Beedle to score from second to tie the game. Handke attempted to stretch the hit to a double, but was tagged out. Both teams traded runs in the fourth, as a wild pitch allowed a Viroqua run to score and a Brady Seiling triple turned into a run two batters later after an error at third base.
Handke’s effort on the mound quickly lost momentum with two outs in the ensuing half inning. After a strikeout looking for the second out of the fifth, Handke surrendered a single and a walk before Ethan Stoner was brought on in relief. Stoner gave up a first pitch RBI single that gave Viroqua the lead, before loading the bases on a walk. A wild pitch scored the second run of the inning, before a two-RBI single brought the Blackhawk lead to 6-2.
G-E-T had traffic in the bottom of the fifth and bottom of the seventh on walks, but could not get the big hit to pull back in the game. Brady Seiling pitched the sixth, allowing two more runs on a hit and two walks. Warren Stoner pitched a scoreless seventh, allowing only one walk. Brady Seiling was also the leading hitter with two of the Red Hawks’ four hits, including his triple. Edy also walked twice to lead a team tally of eight for the game.
