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White Bass hand Lakemen season?s first loss

Weymont handed Waupaca a 5-4 defeat May 26 in a Memorial Day matchup of BABA South-Central Division teams.

It was the first loss of the season for the Lakemen, who had opened the season with division wins over New London, Scandinavia and Manawa, The five runs given up by the Lakemen equalled the total they had allowed in their first three games.

Neither team scored in the first inning. The Lakemen failed to capitalize on David Yeska’s two-out double off of Weymont starter Mitch Beilfuss. Luke Behm led off the Lakemen half of the second with a single, moved up on a wild pitch and passed ball and scored from third on Rocky Mondello’s groundout. Waupaca went down in order in the third.

Lakemen starter Jeff Riddle faced the minimum of nine men in the first three frames. He did walk the leadoff man in the second, but was helped by a double play of a strike out and a caught stealing.

Waupaca added to its lead with two runs in the third. Beilfuss hit Wes Austin with one out, Behm walked and Jake Reedy singled sharply to left field to load the bases. Mondello delivered a two-run single to right field. The next batter, Travis Holat, lined softly to Beilfuss, but Mondello was doubled off at first to end the inning with the Lakemen up 3-0.

Weymont had two baserunners in the fourth, but Riddle wiggled out of the jam by inducing an inning-ending double play on a grounder to short.

Waupaca added a fourth run in the fifth, as Josh Peterson started things with a single to right. Riddle followed with a hit to put runners at the corners. Pinch runner Tom Wanty was picked off at first base, but Nate Nelson drove in Peterson with a sacrifice fly to left field.

Things imploded on the Lakemen in the bottom of the fifth.  Josh Oehlke led off by getting hit with a pitch and Wes Alix singled hard to left field. Hunter Billington attempted a sacrifice bunt, but Peterson picked up the ball and tagged Billington. The contact knocked the ball out of his glove for an error and the bases were loaded.

Robbie Struck singled on the infield as Austin made a diving stop at short, but could get nobody with a run scoring. The No. 9 man in the order, Matt Brusewitz, then lofted a long fly to left field that got a big push from the wind and landed untouched for a two-run double.

Leadoff man Eric Keenan grounded out to short, but the tying run scored. Lakemen manager Dave Peterson then brought the Lakemen infield in to cut off the potential tying run. Eric Hart spoiled that strategy with a line single just over the head of Austin. Riddle got a groundout and popout to end the inning, but the White Bass had batted around and taken a 5-4 lead.

It didn’t seem likely, but that proved to be the last scoring of the game.

Brusewitz relieved Beilfuss to start the sixth and got two quick strikeouts before walking Mondello and Holat and hitting Andy Wanty with a pitch to load the bases. He got out of the inning, as Riddle struck out.

Jason Wanty led off the Waupaca half of the seventh with a walk. Austin singled and Behm smacked a grounder directly to the first baseman, who stepped on the bag and then threw Austin out as he was headed to second base.

Riddle pitched the sixth and got out unscathed, as first baseman Behm helped with a 3-6-3 double play. Yeska was called in to relieve to start the seventh and retired the side in order.

The Lakemen went meekly in the eighth with two strikeouts and a line drive out to left field. Yeska yielded a one-out single but nothing else in Weymont’s eighth.

In their final at bat, Waupaca’s Andy Wanty led off with a single to right. On a 3-2 pitch to Riddle, the re-entered Josh Peterson was trying to steal second. Riddle struck out and Josh was thrown out for a double play. Jason Wanty did reach on an error, but Yeska flew out to right and the game was over.

The Lakemen outhit the White Bass 8-7. Waupaca added five runners from walks and one from being hit with a pitch. Weymont garnered one walk and two hit batters. Weymont left only three men on base, while the Lakemen stranded nine.

Waupaca will travel to Rosholt at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, June 1, while Weymont will head to New London. Other South-Central Division games are  Manawa at Scandinavia and Plover at Lanark.

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