Wildcats escape C-FC, move into first place tie with win over ECI

On the same night the Blair-Taylor baseball team narrowly avoided a loss, it was given life in the Dairyland Conference Small Division standings. Two nights later, it took advantage of the break and moved into a tie for first place.

The Wildcats were up against the ropes Tuesday night, but Brady Thompson hit a walk-off home run to give the team a 7-6 win over Cochrane-Fountain City. A few miles away, Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran, which was undefeated on the season and sat two games ahead of the Wildcats in the DC-Small standings, suffered a loss to Whitehall (see story elsewhere in Sports). On Thursday, the Wildcats made it two straight losses for ECI with a 7-1 win to tie with the Lancers atop the conference.

B-T began this week with a record of 11-3-1. The team hosted Eleva-Strum on Monday and played a nonconference game at Brookwood on Tuesday. On Thursday, it will have a rematch with C-FC to close out the regular season. 

B-T 7 C-FC 6

Brady Thompson launched a walk-off shot to right field as the Wildcats snuck by the Pirates.

C-FC had just scored three runs with Thompson on the mound in the top of the seventh to take a 6-5 lead into the game’s final at-bat.

Kole Trapp got the Wildcats started with a leadoff single. Thompson swung and missed at the first two pitches he saw. He fouled two more pitches off and took one outside of the strike zone. On the fifth pitch of his at-bat, he made contact, launching the ball over the fence for the game-winner.

Thompson was the winning pitcher, relieving Ty Tranberg, who pitched into the seventh inning before reaching the 100-pitch limit. 

The Wildcats led for most of the game as Thompson hit an RBI single in the bottom of the third. C-FC tied the game in the top of the fourth, but Austin Olson blasted a grand slam in the bottom half of that inning to put the Wildcats ahead 5-1. 

C-FC scored two in the fifth to get within striking distance. Tranberg got the first out in the seventh before having to exit the game. Thompson walked the first batter he saw before allowing three straight singles and a suicide squeeze that put C-FC ahead 6-5.

The Wildcats had 11 hits in the game as Thompson was 2 for 4 with three RBIs, while Peyton Kelly was 3 for 4 and Colby Dahl was 2 for 3. 

B-T 7 ECIL 1

The Wildcats moved into a tie for first place in the conference by handing the Lancers their second straight loss.

The game was scoreless until the top of the fourth when Kelly smacked a solo home run. 

The score stayed 1-0 until the Wildcats broke through with six runs in the sixth. Kole Trapp got the scoring started with a double. Another run scored on an error and two on sacrifice bunts, putting B-T ahead, 5-0. After a run scored on another error, Austin Olson singled to put the Wildcats ahead by seven runs.

The Lancers scored one in the sixth, but that’s all they would get. 

Brady Thompson pitched a complete game, holding the Lancers to three hits and three walks while striking out five. 

Trapp was 3 for 4 at the plate for B-T and six other players had one hit.