Waupaca to host Lanark, Scandy heading to Plover
The Waupaca Lakemen knew they’d host a first-round BABA playoff game, they just didn’t know who their opponent would be.
Lanark and Weymont tied for first place in the final BABA South-Central Division standings with a 5-7 record, but a coin flip at a division meeting Aug. 8 determined that Lanark would get the fourth and final playoff spot.
That means the top-seeded Lakemen will host the Lions at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 14, in the division semifinals.
Weymont could have wrapped up a playoff spot with a win over the Lakemen Aug. 7 in the regular-season finale for both teams, but came out on the short end of a 10-1 score.
Second-seeded Plover will host No. 3 Scandinavia in the other semifinal. The winners will meet at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21, in the division final.
Waupaca also handed Hortonville a 2-1 loss Aug. 3 in a rescheduled Fan Appreciation Night.
Waupaca 10, Weymont 1
A five-run eighth inning helped the Lakemen pull away from the White Bass.
Cam Seidl held Weymont to one run in his five innings on the mound.
Kyle Bosquez singled with one out for the White Bass in the third. Seidl fielded a grounder, but his throw for a force at second base was wide and the visitors had two runners on base. Adam Krause grounded a hit up the middle that Waupaca shortstop Wes Austin stopped, but Bosquez scored from second base.
The Lakemen stranded a pair of runners in the first and one more at third base in the third. Trailing 1-0 going into the bottom of the third the Lakemen had the top of their order up. Austin reached on a throwing error, Nate Nelson flew out to deep center and Luke Behm came through with a RBI single to right field. Tyler Goggins also singled and David Yeska’s single to left field plated Behm and gave the Lakemen the lead for good.
Nelson led off Waupaca’s half of the fifth with a walk. Behm singled to right field and when the throw to third was late, he hustled to second to put two runners in scoring position. Nelson scored on Goggins’ sacrifice fly to center field and Behm trotted home on Yeska’s ground out to give the home team a 4-1 lead.
Jeff Riddle relieved Seidl in the sixth in his first appearance since badly straining a hamstring about four weeks ago. He pitched three innings, giving up only a walk in the sixth, a single to Kaleb Sciborski and a walk in the seventh and another walk in the eighth while striking out four batters.
The Lakemen added another run in the sixth, as Travis Holat and Riddle walked and moved up on a Kyle Douglas bunt. Holat scored as Austin grounded out to make it 5-1 game.
Pat Plamann led off the Lakemen eighth with a single and Cody Weller followed with an infield single. After a double play, it appeared there may not be any scoring, but Joe Ogden singled to drive in a run, Sean Peskie doubled as Tyler Dayton added a two-run double. Behm added a RBI single and Joe Nelson beat out an infield hit. Ethan Dayton singled in the final run before Plamann’s ground ball led to the third out.
Andy Wanty came on to pitch the ninth. He got a strikeout, walked Bosquez and got a groundout before Wes Alix singled. Krause grounded to a diving Ethan Dayton at third, who got to his feet and threw a one-hopper to Behm at first that ended the game.
Behm had four of Waupaca’s 13 hits, while Sciborski had two of Weymont’s seven hits, all singles.
Waupaca 2, Hortonville 1
Joe Nelson held the Stars to one hit to get the win on the mound. That hit came in the fifth, as Hortonville scored its run on a fielder’s choice ground ball with the runner scoring from third on a close play.
Nelson walked a pair of batters and hit another, but scattered those over the other six innings.
The Lakemen also managed only one hit in the game, a line drive single from Goggins in the fourth, but it had no bearing on the scoring.
Hortonville’s pitchers struggled with control all night and it finally caught up to them in the fifth, as the Lakemen scored their two runs without a hit. Ogden led off by reaching on an error and moved to second on Austin’s sacrifice bunt. Waupaca tied the game three walks later and the game-winning run came on a wild pitch.
Lakemen chatter
• All four BABA divisions will open playoff action Aug. 14 with No. 1 seeds hosting No. 4 seeds and No. 3 seeds playing at No. 2 seeds. Should rain interfere at any point in a playoff game and the field becomes unplayable, the game will be suspended and resumed later from the point of suspension. All playoff games have the right to be played a full nine innings. Fans can check the BABA website – www.bababaseball.com – for updated playoff schedules.
• Waupaca finished the regular season with a 19-6 overall record and an 11-1 mark in South-Central play. The Lakemen have clinched home field advantage for any of their South-Central playoff games. However if they get to round three or four, they will have to travel, as those games are on an alternate year setup as to which division gets to host.
• Lakemen fans with season tickets are reminded that the BABA does not recognize them during playoffs, as both participating teams split expenses and revenue for that day. That means all fans over high school age have to pay the standard $2 admission.